Hypoalgesic effect of swearing
[4] Researchers from Keele University conducted a number of initial experiments in 2009 to examine the analgesic properties of swearing.Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston published "Swearing as a Response to Pain" in NeuroReport, finding that some people could hold their hands in ice water for twice as long as usual if they swore compared to if they used neutral words."[6][7] The experiments were repeated on television in episodes of MythBusters and Fry's Planet Word, both seeming to confirm the findings.[8][9] The original research team of Stephens, Atkins, and Kingston were awarded the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for their study.Using a similar method as Stephens and colleagues, Philipp and Lombardo found that people reported an emotionally distressing memory as less painful after swearing.