Here’s some scientifically sound advice. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, go ahead and let loose with that string of expletives. It actually will make you feel better.

In a study published a few years back in Scientific American, Richard Stephens, a psychology professor at Keele University in the U.K., said, “I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear.” Professor Stephens became interested in the function of profanity after hearing an earful of it from his wife while she was in labor. He wondered if it served some practical purpose.

In one experiment he conducted, participants were asked to immerse their hands in a tub of ice cold water. Those who were encouraged to curse freely were able to keep their hands in the water 40% longer than those asked to be silent or to avoid using swear words. Afterwards, the foul-mouthed subjects also reported feeling less pain than their mealy-mouthed counterparts.

Cursing seems to elevate the heart rate and may, by increasing aggression levels, trigger the flight-or-fight response. Previous research shows that this response temporarily mutes the sensation of pain, so that we can respond quickly to a threat.

The most popular swear words for people in pain, Stephens found, are fuck, shit, bitch (as in “son of a…”), and bastard. For me, were I to hit my thumb with a hammer, I would be most likely to scream, “Jesus Fucking Christ!”

Written for today’s one-word prompt, “elevate.”