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Swearing and Pain Relief

    For this rational argument assignment, I focused on why many of us swear even though it is considered wrong by moral standards. One of the reasons why I found people may swear is because it can actually help with pain tolerance, and there's a study to prove it.

    In an experiment conducted by Keele University in the UK, researchers studied how swearing impacts pain by having 92 participants hold hands in an ice bath. The researchers measured the participants' pain threshold by timing how long it took for the group to feel pain. How long they were able to keep their hands in the freezing water determined their pain tolerance. Each participant did 4 trials, each trial repeating one of four "test words" (2 swear words, 2 made up swear words for neutrality). Those who dropped F-bombs demonstrated increased pain tolerance. Saying the two made up swear words had minimal effect on pain tolerance. In my view, there is satisfaction from swearing when dealing with pain, but mores research needs to be conducted to determine a concrete answer.

    Whenever I feel a tremendous amount of pain, swearing releases all the emotions in a natural way that helps me alleviate pain, similar to the participants previously mentioned. Exploring swearing's benefits has given me a better understanding of why people swear.


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