Scand J Pain October 2017 PMID 29229213

Swearing as a response to pain: A cross-cultural comparison of British and Japanese participants.

Olivia Robertson, Sarita Jane Robinson, Richard Stephens

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Mentions

38
Peak: 4 in Feb 2021
across 4 sources since Jul 2020

Extended reach

46,454
potential audience

Total likes

95

Video views

1,086

Mentions per month

Jul 2020 – Oct 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News21 articles
  • X / Twitter13 posts
  • YouTube2 videos
  • Blogs2 articles

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The overall tone reveals curiosity and recognition of the study's significance, exemplified by tweets noting the cross-cultural comparison and personal ties to researchers, along with references to replication efforts, which demonstrate a moderate level of interest and engagement; phrases like 'interesting study' and mentions of 'replication' highlight appreciation for scientific rigor, but there's limited critique or detailed analysis.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions acknowledge the study's findings, implying a general agreement on its relevance or validity.

InterestModerate interest

Participants show moderate interest, sharing personal connections and curiosity without deeply analyzing methodology.

EngagementModerate engagement

Comments include sharing related studies and personal stories, indicating some level of engagement, but not an in-depth critique.

ImpactModerate impact

The discussions suggest the research may influence perceptions of cultural differences or coping strategies, but its real-world impact remains moderate.

Abstract in brief

  • The study compared British and Japanese participants to see how swearing affects pain perception, with the idea that British participants might use swear words as a learned response (script), whereas Japanese participants rarely swear in pain, possibly affecting their pain tolerance.
  • The experiment involved participants performing a cold pressor task while repeating either a swear or a control word, measuring how long they could endure and how much pain they reported, with Japanese participants generally experiencing more pain and tolerating less than British participants.
  • Results showed Japanese participants reported higher pain levels and had lower pain tolerance overall, suggesting that the ability or tendency to swear in response to pain influences pain perception and that cultural differences in swearing practices may play a role.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
ɹǝʇlnoԀ pıʌɐᗡ
@Retlouping · X

Swearing as a response to pain: A cross-cultural comparison of British and Japanese participants https://t.co/xfF8n7a1wl swearing could be encouraged as an intervention to help people cope with acute painful stimuli. https://t.co/FwOweyqUZ8

Oct 19, 2025 · 5 likes · 1 share · 26,352 followers View post →
Oxford ExpPsychology
@OxExpPsy · X

Olly Robertson (@PsychOllygy) works on how non-clinical populations regulate their emotions in daily life. #OxEPECR #BSW2021 Recent publication: https://t.co/IftfSzTJxU https://t.co/E4piNyMXSt

Mar 10, 2021 · 4 likes · 2 shares · 12,982 followers View post →
Jurassic fangirl
@jpfangirl2 · X

@rainbokuto I thought all of you might find this study interesting. One of the researchers (I don’t want to say which one as that gives too much information on me) is the sibling of my partner. I’m very proud of them for this. https://t.co/7LSlSCiih3

May 27, 2021 · 4 likes · 1 share · 13 followers View post →
Consortium for Research About Profanity
@SwearingGroup · X

Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig Nobel study on swearing and pain in 2017 Tl;dr: It helps! Read here: https://t.co/yOa89GQjhg @improbresearch @AcademicChatter @UCLanPsychology #ScienceTwitter https://t.co/YwI0LtLbRK https://t.co/Z7Zw9jv009

Feb 26, 2021 · 2 likes · 3 shares · 9 followers View post →
Richard Stephens
@PsychologyRich · X

RT @SwearingGroup: Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig No…

Feb 26, 2021 · 3 shares · 1,251 followers View post →
Thomas Rhys Evans @ThomasRhysEvans@mas.to
@ThomasRhysEvans · X

RT @SwearingGroup: Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig No…

Feb 26, 2021 · 3 shares · 1,162 followers View post →

All mentions

Arsalan Ghorbanpour
@GhorbanpourApt1 · X

RT @Retlouping: Swearing as a response to pain: A cross-cultural comparison of British and Japanese participants https://t.co/xfF8n7a1wl s…

Oct 19, 2025 · 1 share · 82 followers View post →
ɹǝʇlnoԀ pıʌɐᗡ
@Retlouping · X

Swearing as a response to pain: A cross-cultural comparison of British and Japanese participants https://t.co/xfF8n7a1wl swearing could be encouraged as an intervention to help people cope with acute painful stimuli. https://t.co/FwOweyqUZ8

Oct 19, 2025 · 5 likes · 1 share · 26,352 followers View post →
Kristleifur Daðason
@kristleifur · X

@wires_wires

Mar 9, 2023 · 905 followers View post →
JapaneseAtKeele
@JapaneseAtKeele · X

キール大学【だいがく】の研究者【けんきゅうしゃ】らによる興味深【きょうみぶか】い日英比較研究【にちえいひかくけんきゅう】です。 This is an interesting comparative study between British and Japanese conducted by researchers at Keele University. https://t.co/tiY3LFvd1J

Sep 21, 2022 · 62 followers View post →
Jurassic fangirl
@jpfangirl2 · X

@rainbokuto I thought all of you might find this study interesting. One of the researchers (I don’t want to say which one as that gives too much information on me) is the sibling of my partner. I’m very proud of them for this. https://t.co/7LSlSCiih3

May 27, 2021 · 4 likes · 1 share · 13 followers View post →
Dr Olly Robertson
@PsychOllygy · X

RT @OxExpPsy: Olly Robertson (@PsychOllygy) works on how non-clinical populations regulate their emotions in daily life. #OxEPECR #BSW2021…

Mar 10, 2021 · 2 shares · 627 followers View post →
Oxford ExpPsychology
@OxExpPsy · X

Olly Robertson (@PsychOllygy) works on how non-clinical populations regulate their emotions in daily life. #OxEPECR #BSW2021 Recent publication: https://t.co/IftfSzTJxU https://t.co/E4piNyMXSt

Mar 10, 2021 · 4 likes · 2 shares · 12,982 followers View post →
Richard Stephens
@PsychologyRich · X

RT @SwearingGroup: Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig No…

Feb 26, 2021 · 3 shares · 1,251 followers View post →
Thomas Rhys Evans @ThomasRhysEvans@mas.to
@ThomasRhysEvans · X

RT @SwearingGroup: Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig No…

Feb 26, 2021 · 3 shares · 1,162 followers View post →
Dr Olly Robertson
@PsychOllygy · X

RT @SwearingGroup: Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig No…

Feb 26, 2021 · 3 shares · 627 followers View post →
Consortium for Research About Profanity
@SwearingGroup · X

Looks like we're in good company with replication & rigorous methods @PsychOllygy with @Drsurvival replicated the Ig Nobel study on swearing and pain in 2017 Tl;dr: It helps! Read here: https://t.co/yOa89GQjhg @improbresearch @AcademicChatter @UCLanPsychology #ScienceTwitter https://t.co/YwI0LtLbRK https://t.co/Z7Zw9jv009

Feb 26, 2021 · 2 likes · 3 shares · 9 followers View post →
Prof. Biology
@ResearchBiology · X

Swearing as a response to pain: A cross-cultural comparison of British... https://t.co/sNfBV1rTbB

Jan 7, 2021 · 627 followers View post →
MarkCroucher2
@MarkCroucher2 · X

@GNK1 https://t.co/IQ0RymkTO2

Jul 1, 2020 · 632 followers View post →