8 SCHIMPFEN IM BERUF Business Spotlight
What a pain!
Swearing can be good for you. Seriously. It can help us
deal with pain. Here, we focus on the language used to
express pain, both physical and mental. And we provide
you with some polite alternatives.
Did you know?
Studies have shown that people who swear when they are experienc-
ing pain can tolerate the pain for longer. Interestingly, the stronger the
swear words, the better the effect. According to one study by Richard
Stephens, a psychologist and the author of Black Sheep: The Hidden Ben-
efits of Being Bad, “fuck” is the best painkiller of them all. He found that
people who shouted “fuck” while they had their hand in freezing cold
water could keep their hand under water much longer — and also didn’t
feel so bad after they took it out.
Strong language
Paul: Fuck! Fuck!
Ron: What’s wrong?
Paul: I hit my elbow on that
fucking box. Shit! That
really hurt. Who put it
there?
Ron: Sorry, that was me. Are
you OK? Shall I just
ignore you while you
have a mini-meltdown?
Paul: Yes — that’s probably
best! Bugger!
Mild language
Paula: Sugar!
Sean: What happened?
Paula: My computer crashed
again. It’s driving me
crazy!
Sean: What a pain! Did you
lose anything?
Paula: Probably everything.
Drat.
Sean: Ow! That’s so annoy-
ing!