Science F*cking Confirms It: 11 Reasons Cursing Is Good For The Soul

Your parents may scream at you and your significant other may scold you, but today you have the perfect defense to get these people off your back when they start talking about your cursing "problem."

Thats right, this really isn't a problem at all. While some people may think that having a colorful vocabulary means you are ignorant or offensive, that's just not the case.

Studies have actually proved that swearing relieves pain! And isn't that the goal of your little emotional outbursts? It can be quite cathartic as everyone knows and, finally, we have the science to back up these claims.

Sure, maybe you don't want to drop the F bomb when your boss is providing your yearly review, but you know how good it feels to scream it when you bang your elbow on yet another countertop.

1. It makes you feel less pain

Have you ever heard of the hypoalgesic effect of swearing? I'm going to go with a hard no because who the f*ck studies psychology after they make it out of college...

But Richard Stephens of Keele University in England led a study that measured how long 67 college students could keep their hands submerged in ice water.

The group of students was encouraged to yell profanities for one controlled testing, and then to use non-swear words while completing the same test.

The 67 volunteers endured the cold temperatures for 40 seconds longer while screaming obscenities. This group also stated that it felt less pain overall. Stephens even went so far as to say, "I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear."

The clinical term for this? The hypoalgesic effect of swearing.

2. It makes you feel stronger

Through Stephens' studies, he realized that cursing increases aggression... duh. So why is this important?

It downplays people's weakness to make them actually appear stronger than they are. It's mind over matter in this case.

3. It actually doesn't mean you're stupid or ignorant

People falsely believe those who have a colorful vocabulary are missing more appropriate words and, as a result, replace them with curse words. Good news! This is actually false.

Stephens worked alongside Amy Zile whose observations led her to determine that cursing isn't directly linked to intellect.

4. It serves as a great coping mechanism

Stephens' determined that people use profanity as a coping mechanism, as shown through his ice water study.

I mean how else were participants able to sustain the harsh temperatures? Staying calm clearly wasn't working. Which brings us to...

5. It helps you feel much more resilient

Playing off the idea of being a coping mechanism, cursing makes you feel as if you can get through anything.

So next time you want to get pissed off at your personal trainer, just remember all he's trying to do is encourage you to reach your full potential.

6. It makes you feel so much f*cking better

Therapy helps, but screaming and cursing is faster and cheaper.. — pamela ghanem (@pamoula) April 24, 2013

Well, it certainly doesn't make us feel any worse, does it?

7. Apparently, it's more engaging while watching television and movies

Do you ever wonder why the movie "The Wolf Of Wall Street" was so successful? Or the beloved television drama "The Wire"?

Well, senior lecturer in linguistics at the University of Sydney, Monika Bednarek, examined television hits in the United States and realized that "The Wire" outranked "Dexter," "Entourage" and "Breaking Bad."

What did "The Wire" have that these shows did not? Well, it averaged more than 100 instances of profanity in each episode.

8. It helps create close bonds with other people

No, we aren't talking about the literal sense of the word "f*cking" rather the social aspect of swear words.

As Dr. Monika Benarek further explained, "Swearing is important for creating close relationships, friendship or intimacy with others, and bonds can be formed around it.”

9. It's innate and expressive

Timothy Jay, a psychologist at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has spent the last 35 years studying the use of profanities.

His view on the subject matter? "It allows us to vent or express anger, joy, surprise, happiness. It's like the horn on your car, you can do a lot of things with that, it's built into you."

10. It means you're creative

"F*ck" is probably the only word that can be used as a noun, verb, adverb, adjective and interjection and still making f*cking sense.

11. It helps you emphasize your points

Sometimes bland language isn't enough to convey what you are trying to say, which is why opting for exaggerated phrases involving curse words is the go-to route.

Why else would people scream obscenities when trying to express excitement or anger?

For more of her thoughts, humor and ridiculous opinions follow Ashley Fern on Instagram and Twitter.