The word fuck never crossed my lips until I got sick. Until I got vertigo, to be exact. I had just started my first grown-up (i.e. non academic) job. I even had my own cubicle and business cards. Then I woke up one day with everything spinning. When the doctor diagnosed me with labyrinthitis, telling me there was nothing that he could do and I just had to wait up 6 weeks for it to leave on its own, I walked to the bus stop across the street from my clinic and let out a torrent of fuck.
Turns out, it may have been a good coping mechanism. Indeed, this study shows that swearing actually can help reduce the intensity of pain -- something else that increased a great deal once I got sick. And needless to say, I swear like a sailor now. Though, according to the psychologist who did the study, the more you swear, the less effective it may be.
A new, more substantive post is forthcoming. Illness and other events have conspired to limit my blogging of late, but not my thinking. Hopefully I'll be sharing some of those thoughts in the next week or so.
2 comments:
I read about that study! I've found it to be true -- both that it helps with pain (the sudden, acute kind, anyway), and that it's more effective if you save it for when you really need it.
i also find a low moan/groan to be good once the energy for swearing has gone!
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