Swearing in the Gym: New Evidence Links Profanity to Better Physical Performance

Why swearing may help you push past psychological barriers

A trip to the gym might soon sound a bit more colourful-backed by research rather than bravado. A new study strengthens the growing evidence that swearing can boost physical performance, apparently by helping people push through psychological barriers that would otherwise limit effort.

Psychology researcher Richard Stephens of Keele University (UK) explains that many people deliberately-or without realising it-stop short of using their full strength. In his view, swearing is a simple, readily available way to feel more focused and assured, with fewer distractions, making it easier to commit fully and “go for it” a bit more.

What the researchers wanted to find out about swearing and disinhibition

Stephens and collaborators from Keele University and the University of Alabama set out to test two things: whether swearing once again improves physical performance (as their earlier work has suggested), and whether any improvement happens because swearing changes a person’s psychology in the moment-particularly in terms of easing inhibitions and increasing state disinhibition.

Experiment 1: Chair push-up task with swear words versus neutral words

For the first experiment, the team recruited 88 participants aged 18 to 65, all fit enough to exert themselves physically. Recruitment took place on a university campus.

Each person chose two words using the same prompts: - one swear word you might blurt out after banging your head - one neutral word you might use to describe a table

Participants then completed a chair push-up: seated in a chair, gripping the sides of the seat, they used their arms to lift their entire body weight so that their bottom left the chair and their feet came off the floor.

During the chair push-up, participants repeatedly said the word they had selected-either the swear word or the neutral word-depending on random assignment. They held the position for as long as possible (up to 60 seconds) while keeping eye contact with the researcher, who ran the session remotely via Microsoft Teams.

Afterwards, participants completed questions designed to assess state disinhibition-in other words, how unconstrained or free-from-consequences they felt at that moment. The study looked at several components the researchers expected to be higher when swearing than when using neutral words, including: - humour
- psychological flow
- self-confidence
- social desirability
- distraction

Experiment 2: Replication with additional psychological measures

A second experiment repeated the same procedure with a different sample of 94 participants, recruited in the same way.

The researchers assessed the same measures as before, but also added factors they suspected might be lower during swearing sessions, including: - bystander apathy
- behavioural inhibition system
- cognitive anxiety
- negative emotion

Results: Longer holds and a more action-ready mindset

Across both experiments, swearing was linked to a clear performance benefit. Participants tended to maintain the chair push-up for longer when repeating their chosen swear word than when repeating the neutral word.

The swearing condition also produced higher scores for positive emotion, humour, distraction, and novelty. Taken together, this pattern suggests that calling on a favourite four-letter word may help people shift into a more action-oriented state-and might even make a demanding workout feel more enjoyable.

Stephens and colleagues conclude that the findings indicate swearing can encourage psychological conditions that support maximum effort and help people overcome internal constraints.

What remains uncertain: Does swearing truly reduce inhibitions?

Even so, the evidence was not strong enough to say with confidence that swearing specifically reduces inhibitions. The researchers note that confirming-or disproving-that particular explanation will require further work (and, no doubt, a wider range of profanities).

Stephens adds that the results may help explain why swearing is so widespread: it is, in his words, a calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost and easily accessible tool people can use when they want an extra lift in performance.

Practical considerations for training environments

If you are tempted to try this in your own training, context matters. What feels motivating in a solo session may be unwelcome in a shared gym space or group class. A quieter version-muttering under your breath rather than shouting-may preserve any personal benefit while reducing the chance of disturbing others.

It is also worth remembering that better performance does not automatically mean safer performance. If swearing makes you feel more driven, it may be wise to pair that surge of effort with good technique, appropriate loads, and sensible progression-especially for upper-body efforts like chair push-ups where fatigue can compromise form.

The research is published in American Psychologist.