Does Swearing Improve Exercise Performance And Pain Tolerance?: Cultural Perspective

Background: Swearing is often generated by self or received from others (e.g., coaches) during physical exertion for various reasons including punctuating the passion, releasing frustration, and resetting the mind. However, the effects of swearing and yelling on exercise performance and pain tolerance remain largely unexplored. Additionally, it is unknown whether individuals from different cultures experience varying degrees of impact of swearing. Purpose: We determined the impact of self-generated and observer-generated swearing and yelling on exercise performance and pain tolerance in individuals living in the US where swearing is often used and heard and in Thailand where such occurrence is rare. Methods: In a randomized, repeated-measures design, a total of 34 participants (22 ± 3 years) consisting of 17 individuals living in the US and 17 living in Thailand, completed the following five conditions in random order: 1) control (no swearing or yelling), 2) self-yelling, 3) observer-yelling, 4) self-swearing, and 5) observer-swearing. Each participant completed the maximum handgrip strength test, a plank exercise to exhaustion, and the cold pressor test (CPT) to unbearable withdrawal. These tests were constructed to test the effects of swearing on peak muscle strength, muscular endurance, and pain tolerance, respectively. Results: Among the participants living in the US, yelling had no significant impact on any of the exercise performance and pain tolerance irrespective of the mode of delivery. Both self-generated and observer-generated swearing significantly improved plank time compared with the control condition (138 ± 61 and 135 ± 63 vs. 120 ± 53 sec). Maximum handgrip strength was also increased in the observer-generated swearing condition. In the Thai-based participants, neither yelling nor swearing influenced maximal handgrip strength and plank time to exhaustion. However, CPT time was significantly prolonged in the observer-yelling condition than in the control condition (272 ± 70 sec vs.184 ± 102 sec). Conclusion: Self-directed swearing and swearing from others enhanced maximal strength and muscular endurance in US-based participants where the occurrence of swearing is relatively frequent. However, such effects were absent in Thai-based participants where swearing is not common.