Dropping an ‘F Bomb’ can make you stronger, study finds

Letting a curse slip when you stub your toe or grind through a workout might feel like a small act of rebellion. New research suggests it is also a way for you to tap into more strength and grit when it counts. A new study finds that swearing can boost physical performance by helping you loosen your internal brakes and push harder on tests of strength and endurance.

“In many situations, people hold themselves back, consciously or unconsciously, from using their full strength,” said study author Richard Stephens, PhD, of Keele University in the U.K. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘go for it’ a little more.”

Stephens and other researchers already knew swearing was linked to tougher performance in painful or demanding tasks, such as keeping a hand in ice water or holding a chair push-up. That effect kept showing up in earlier work. The new study drills into why it happens and what is going on in your mind when you let a four letter word fly.

To probe the psychology behind the effect, the team ran two experiments with a total of 192 participants. In each experiment, volunteers performed a chair push-up, supporting their body weight with their arms while their feet stayed on the floor. It is a simple movement that quickly becomes a test of strength and willpower.

During the task, participants repeated either a swear word of their own choice or a neutral, non-emotional word. They spoke the word out loud every two seconds while holding the position. That rhythm kept their minds engaged with the word throughout the effort.

Right after the exercise, participants completed questionnaires about how they felt during the task. They rated their mood, how funny the situation seemed, how distracted they felt, how confident they felt, and how deeply they were absorbed in what they were doing. That last measure, called psychological “flow,” captured whether they felt locked into the task in a focused, almost effortless way.

The physical results lined up cleanly. People who swore during the chair push-up could support their body weight for longer than those who repeated a neutral word. When the researchers combined these experiments with a similar earlier study, the performance boost from swearing remained clear.

The question was why. The combined data showed that swearing changed how people experienced the effort. When you swear in this kind of situation, you are more likely to report stronger flow, higher self confidence and a shift in distraction that fits a looser, less inhibited state of mind. Those changes together helped explain the extra time people held the push-up position.

Stephens and his colleagues believe swearing works by nudging you into what they call a disinhibited state. In that state, you worry less about social rules, feel less self conscious and let yourself lean into the task. You are not suddenly superhuman, but the usual internal voice that says “this is too much, stop now” gets a little quieter.

The study builds on a long line of work from Stephens and his collaborators. In earlier experiments, people who swore could keep their hand in icy water longer than when they used neutral language. They also held demanding chair exercises for more time. That pattern suggested swearing was doing more than just venting emotion.

“It’s like reading a book with all the words scrambled and not understanding the order of the words or how they’re arranged,” Stephens said in earlier work about understanding internal states. In this new study, he argues that swearing helps put those “words” back into order by loosening social restraint and letting you commit more fully.

“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 said. You do not need special equipment, coaching or a prescription. You only need a word that feels strong to you and the right moment to use it.

The benefits in the lab raise questions you may already be asking yourself. If swearing helps in a controlled chair push-up, could it help you in a game, a race or a tough rehab session. The researchers suspect that any task where you hesitate or hold back might be open to this kind of mental nudge.

In fact, they are already exploring new situations. “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,” said study co author Nicholas Washmuth, DPT, of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

"Public speaking and walking up to someone you find attractive are not physical strength tests, but they demand courage and focus. In both cases, your inner critic can get loud. Our team wanted to know whether a well timed swear could calm that critic, put you in a looser state and help you act instead of freezing," Stephens shared with The Brighter Side of News.

"Of course, context still matters. Swearing at a coach, a boss or a stranger can backfire socially, even if it helps you feel bold. The point is not to shout curses at everyone around you. It is to recognize that, in the right time and place, a strong word can be more than noise. It can be a small, controlled act of release that lets you take one more step, hold one more second or finally say what you need to say," he continued.

For you, the research offers a simple, practical idea. When you face a brief, demanding effort, quietly choosing a favorite swear word could help you squeeze out a little more strength or endurance. The effect seems to come from a mental shift into greater confidence, focus and willingness to push through discomfort.

Coaches, trainers and therapists might use this insight to normalize swearing in certain controlled settings, such as during a heavy lift, a sprint, or a painful stretch in physical therapy, as long as it is respectful and agreed upon. Swearing will not replace training, sleep or good technique, but it may provide a small, useful edge.

The work also opens a broader path for future research. If scientists can better understand how language changes your sense of restraint and focus, they may find other short phrases or vocal actions that boost performance without any social downside. For now, the takeaway is simple: under pressure, the right word at the right time may help you stop holding back.

Research findings are available online in the journal American Psychologist.

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