英国基尔大学的研究人员最近发现，受伤时随口喊出几句骂人的话可以减轻身体的疼痛感。据研究人员分析，这一反应可能源自于人类祖先在面临外敌袭击时“非逃即战”的状况，咒骂通常会使人心率加快，从而增强其攻击性，而攻击性则会降低人们对疼痛的敏感度。研究人员表示，咒骂是长久以来人类通用的一种情绪表达形式，并非心理学上所说的“灾变心理”症状在作怪。

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It might be socially unacceptable, but an outburst of swearing after a DIY mishap or stubbing a toe can actually do some good. Scientists have discovered that uttering swear words can help to lessen the feeling of physical pain.

It might be socially unacceptable, but an outburst of swearing after a DIY mishap or stubbing a toe can actually do some good. Scientists have discovered that uttering swear words can help to lessen the feeling of physical pain.

The study by researchers at Keele University found that volunteers were able to withstand pain for longer when they swore compared to when they used words which were not offensive.

Dr Richard Stephens, who conducted the study at the university's school of psychology³, believes it may explain why swearing is still common place in languages around the world.

He suggests that swearing could have evolved as a way of raising aggression⁴ levels and reducing the feeling of pain to allow our ancestors to flee or fight back when attacked by predators⁵.

He said: "We think it could be part of theflight or fight response. In the volunteers who swore, we also found they had an elevated heart rate, so it could be increasing their aggression levels.

"Increased aggression has been shown to reduce people's sensitivity to pain, so it could be swearing is helping⁶ this process."

The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal NeuroReport, tested 64 students' tolerance⁷ to pain by asking them to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water for as long as they could while repeating a series of swear words of their choice. They were then asked to carry out the task again while repeating non-offensive words they would use to describe a table. One subject, however, had to be excluded from the trial because they could not suggest any swear words.

They found that volunteers who swore were able to keep their hands submerged in the water for an average of 40 seconds longer. When questioned about their perceived pain they also rated it as being lower.

The researchers also measured the volunteers' heart rate and found that it increased while swearing.

Dr Stephens said that the result was the opposite of what they had expected as most psychologists suggest that swearing is a symptom of "catastrophism", where there the drama-queen inside everyone takes over.

He said: "Swearing is quite an emotional form of language and it is an almost universal human linguistic⁸ phenomenon.

"Our research shows one potential reason why swearing has developed and why is persists."