Sergei Yolkin’s World: Cussin’ Kills the Pain

Cussin’ Kills the Pain

Sergei Yolkin

2011

______________________________

Profanity may work as a painkiller, according to British scientists, The Daily Mail reported. Dr Richard Stephens, the lead researcher, said, “Swearing provokes an emotional fight-or-flight response in the face of stress. It generates pain-killing endorphins and releases them into the bloodstream. This study shows that if people want to benefit from swearing they should save it up for when it really matters… when they are in genuine pain. While I wouldn’t advocate the prescription of swearing as part of a medicalised pain management strategy, our research suggests that we should be tolerant of people who swear while experiencing acute pain. I occasionally receive letters from members of the public recounting episodes in which they, as adults, were chastised for swearing during a painful episode. They feel that my research findings vindicate their actions”. Dr Stephens went on to say, “People have used profanity over the centuries, it’s an almost universal phenomenon in linguistics. Profanities affect the centres of emotions in the brain, which are located in the right hemisphere, whereas the literal meaning of language is processed by the left hemisphere in humans. Our research shows why profanity in expression appeared and why it proved turned out to have such power”.

20 April 2011

RIA-Novosti

http://rian.ru/caricature/20110420/366541592.html

Editor’s Note:

EUREKA! There’s a scientific explanation for shouting “shit” when you stub your toe… it makes you feel better! My Nicky claims that I can peel the paint off the walls when I’m frustrated… he says that my tombstone will have two things on it (besides my name and dates, of course):

• SHIT!
• WAIT A MINUTE!

This is legit science… why didn’t you and I think up such a racket? This guy gets PAID for writing that people get a sense of satisfaction from the use of the “dirty seven” when times are tough… I thought that EVERYBODY knew that one (at the risk of a BAD pun, “a real no-brainer”). Well… that’s academe for ya…

BMD

Advertisement