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Hump Day Hint: swear more, run better
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This week's HDH is all about swearing. That's right, the forbidden language of curse words. A recent study from researchers at Keele University in the UK have discovered that the simple art of swearing in response to a painful situation can help an individual feel less pain.
Participants of the study were asked to submerge their hands in ice-cold water on two separate occasions. In the first instance, participants were asked to use their favorite swear word while keeping their hand submerged as long as possible. In the second, participants did the same exact activity, though they were asked to use a G-rated word. The result? The participants were able to withstand the pain of the ice water longer when allowed to swear.
What should we do with this information? Well, after your next hard track workout, feel free to let a few choice words fly (provided you're in appropriate company, of course). Have an especially long run to get through? Along with your fuel belt and Body Glide, throw in some colorful language for good measure. And using an off-colored yelp as you enter a post-run ice bath is as good a time as any to put research into action.
Researchers do warn that casual swearing peppered through our regular conversations lessen the impact of swearing in response to pain.
Happy running!
