Swearing has long been considered a social faux pas, something to suppress rather than express. But new research suggests that a well-timed swear word may do more than vent frustration, it may actually help people push past their limits and perform better when physical strength or endurance is required.

“Swearing appears to produce a state of ‘hot cognitions' helping us downplay everyday fears and concerns. This can lead to benefits in some situations, such as physical strength, shown by our participants being able to hold the chair push-up for a longer time after swearing,” co-author of the study, Richard Stephens, PhD, a psychologist at Keele University in the United Kingdom, said in a press release.

A well-timed swear word may do more than vent frustration, it may actually help people push past their limits and perform better when physical strength or endurance is required.

The idea that swearing can enhance performance is not entirely new. Earlier studies by Stephens and other researchers have shown that people who swear are able to tolerate pain longer, such as when they're keeping a hand submerged in ice water. “That is now a well replicated, reliable finding,” Stephens said. But he and his colleagues wanted to answer the question: What's the psychological mechanism behind it?

To answer this question, the researchers conducted controlled experiments involving a total of 192 participants. In each experiment, participants were asked to perform a chair push-up, a test of muscular endurance in which individuals support their body weight using their arms.

While performing the task, participants were instructed to repeat either a swear word of their own choosing or a neutral word spoken aloud every two seconds. The study's design allowed the researchers to isolate effects of swearing itself, rather than motivation, personality or baseline fitness.

After completing the exercise, participants filled out questionnaires assessing their mental state during the task. These included measures linked to disinhibition, such as how positive they felt, how funny they found the situation, how distracted they were and how confident they felt. The researchers also measured psychological “flow” – a state of deep immersion and focus often associated with peak performance.

The results were clear. Participants who swore were able to support their body weight significantly longer than those who repeated neutral words. When the researchers combined the results of the new experiment with data from an earlier study, a consistent pattern emerged. The performance boost associated with swearing could be explained by increases in psychological flow, distraction and self-confidence — key components of a disinhibited mental state.

In other words, swearing appears to help people let go of internal restraints that might otherwise limit effort. As Stephens explained, “By swearing, we throw off social constraint and allow ourselves to push harder in different situations.”

To realize these benefits, swearing must not be about aggression or anger, the researchers emphasize, but about briefly stepping outside social norms in ways that free mental resources. That may help explain why swearing is so widespread across cultures and situations, particularly when people are under strain.

Swearing appears to help people let go of internal restraints that might otherwise limit effort.

These findings also help explain why swearing is so commonplace. “Swearing is literally a calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance,” Stephens points out.

Looking ahead, the researchers are expanding their work beyond physical performance. According to the study's co-author, Nicholas Washmuth, DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, “Our labs are now studying how swearing influences public speaking and romantic approach behaviors, two situations where people tend to hesitate or second-guess themselves.”

For now, the research suggests that the next time you're struggling through a tough workout, or any moment that requires pushing past discomfort, a carefully chosen swear word might offer more than emotional release. It could provide a small but measurable physical edge.

The study is published in American Psychologist.