USING bad language makes us feel a heck of a lot happier, scientists say.
They swear by effing and blinding as a “cathartic” way to release frustration.
Swearing like Gordon Ramsay could make us feel a lot happier, according to expertsGetty – Contributor
Cursing like potty-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay leads to less depression, stress and anxiety than being polite, a study suggests.
The results add to research that shows four-letter outbursts can also reduce physical pain.
Study author Dr Waqar Husain said: “Swearing’s a natural response to release stress and to avoid pain.
“It can serve as an unconscious self-defence mechanism to reduce the effects of daily stressors.”
Three-quarters of Brits get so stressed at some point each year that they feel unable to cope.
And we also swear a lot — with 57 per cent admitting to using rude words quite or very often.
Dr Husain’s study of 98 men and 155 women in Pakistan compared how often they use bad language to self-rated scores on mental health.
Both sexes scored equally on measures of anxiety and depression — but swearers scored lower.
It also found men cursed more and women were more stressed.
Dr Husain added: “The findings reveal significantly lower levels of depression and stress among those who scored higher on profanity.
“Profanity is a form of emotional expression and this is regarded as helpful for better psychological wellbeing.
Suppressing or repressing emotions, on the other hand, has been seen negatively with regard to mental health.”
Dr Husain, of Comsats University in Islamabad, also says swearing can be effective “with or without an audience”.
Writing in the journal Depression Research and Treatment, the expert ranks it alongside other ways to blow off steam including crying, listening to music, martial arts and violent video games.