Looks like they used the old "hands in cold water" technique to inflict pain:
For the study, the researchers recruited 71 young adults and divided them into two groups -- those who normally utter fewer than ten swear words a day, and those who utter up to 40 daily. All of them were asked to dip their hands into ice cold water and hold them there as long as possible. They were first asked to do so while repeating a non-swear word, then again while repeating a swear word of their choosing. Those who usually swear less often were able to withstand the icy water while swearing for up to 45 seconds longer than when they did not swear. But the frequent daily swearers were able to withstand the icy water for just ten seconds longer compared to when they did not swear. Dr Richard Stephens, who led the research, said the findings showed that swearing can release pain-killing endorphins. "Swearing provokes an emotional response in the face of stress akin to the 'flight and fight' response (how the body reacts to perceived threat or danger)," he explained. But the study showed that if people really want to benefit from swearing they should save it up for when it really matters -- and when they are in genuine pain. Michael A. Britt, Ph.D. mich...@thepsychfiles.com http://www.ThePsychFiles.com Twitter: mbritt On Apr 27, 2011, at 6:00 PM, Annette Taylor wrote: > > > Yeah, now you just have to find an IRB willing to allow you to injure > participants so much they feel a need to swear ;) > > Annette > > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph. D. > Professor, Psychological Sciences > University of San Diego > 5998 Alcala Park > San Diego, CA 92110 > tay...@sandiego.edu > From: Michael [mich...@thepsychfiles.com] > Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 11:40 AM > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Subject: [tips] Fun 2x2 factorial design example > > I haven't read the research in detail yet, but I understand that a study > has come out which shows that if you swear when you hurt yourself (like > stubbing your toe I would guess, which I assume we all do...) the swearing > helps to reduce your sensation of pain. This is true, however, only if > you don't usually swear in your daily life. > > Sounds like it could provide for a good example of a factorial design > since it's one of those "Q: Does swearing help? A: Well, it depends...." > > Here's how I would rough it out on the blackboard: > > > http://screencast.com/t/OcqpIenKK2F > > Okay, back to work. > > Michael > http://www.ThePsychFiles.com > > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: tay...@sandiego.edu. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13534.4204dc3a11678c6b1d0be57cfe0a21b0&n=T&l=tips&o=10239 > or send a blank email to > leave-10239-13534.4204dc3a11678c6b1d0be57cfe0a2...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: michael.br...@thepsychfiles.com. > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13405.0125141592fa9ededc665c55d9958f69&n=T&l=tips&o=10245 > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > or send a blank email to > leave-10245-13405.0125141592fa9ededc665c55d9958...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=10296 or send a blank email to leave-10296-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
