HOW SAYING THE F-BOMB COULD BE HELPING YOU COPE.
I recently started to ponder the connection between swearing and COVID-19. While not in any way intended to minimize the importance of understanding the real symptoms of this dreaded virus – I have noticed my use of profanities has escalated significantly of late. There are certainly times in the past when the only real way to express my frustration or irritation has been a well-placed F-bomb, but the recent regularity of its appearance (along with some of its close relatives) into my everyday vernacular has given me pause. Sonia admitted she has been experiencing the same thing and others I have spoken with also confirmed this phenomenon. I needed to understand if I had just totally lost all my filters since being hunkered down indoors, or if something else was going on.
I am happy to report – there is a scientific connection to the benefits of swearing during a pandemic - and it may be helping you cope. Richard Stevens, a psychologist at England’s Keele University became curious about the benefits of profanity after listening to his wife reel off an impressive list of expletives while in labor. Stevens conducted several studies concluding that foul language can actually increase pain tolerance. That is why dropping the f-bomb after banging your knee against a coffee table feels so good. Other studies suggest swearing, unlike normal language, activates evolutionary structures deep inside the right half of the brain, raising our heart rate and activating the fight-or-flight response. The theory is that swearing is a defensive reflex, a deep evolutionary instinct, and signals an attempt to intimidate an attacker.
According to Neel Burton, an Oxford England Psychiatrist, swearing brings out a sense of calm in a person “The health benefits of swearing include increased circulation, elevated endorphins, and an overall sense of calm, control and well-being.” Other useful benefits of swearing uncovered by Monika Bednarek, of the University of Sydney, are that “Swearing is important for creating close relationships, friendship or intimacy with others, and bonds can be formed around it.” So, with all of us tucked away in our homes, teaching our kids math while working at our makeshift desks in the laundry room – isn’t it comforting to know we are all actually getting just a little bit closer?
While dropping expletives is obviously not a symptom of COVID19 – I would suggest it certainly may be a very effective response to dealing with all that is happening. It brings us closer, helps block out the pain and provides on overall sense of calm while we step up the fight or flight response to intimidate this viral beast. Lastly, we all know cursing can be used to express great feelings of joy and relief – such as, “I will be so grateful when this whole f%#*@ng thing is behind us!”
I guess the other good news, for me anyway, is that the curve on this appears to have flattened. It peaked at some point last week and now appears to be on the decline.
Please share - and tell me the truth -- are you swearing more than usual?
Happy Friday everyone.
Stay well.
Paula & Sonia
