英國基爾大學的研究人員最近發現，受傷時隨口喊出幾句罵人的話可以減輕身體的疼痛感。據研究人員分析，這一反應可能源自于人類祖先在面臨外敵襲擊時“非逃即戰”的狀況，咒罵通常會使人心率加快，從而增強其攻擊性，而攻擊性則會降低人們對疼痛的敏感度。研究人員表示，咒罵是長久以來人類通用的一種情緒表達形式，并非心理學上所說的“災變心理”癥狀在作怪。
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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.
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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.
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 psychology, 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 aggression levels and reducing the feeling of pain to allow our ancestors to flee or fight back when attacked by predators.
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 helping this process."
The researchers, whose findings are published in the journal NeuroReport, tested 64 students' tolerance 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 linguistic phenomenon.
"Our research shows one potential reason why swearing has developed and why is persists."
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(Agencies)
Vocabulary:
swear words: 罵人的話
flight or fight response: “非逃即戰”反應
drama-queen: 挑撥是非的人
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
