Swearing can help relieve pain, study claims - Telegraph

Swearing can help relieve pain, study claims - Telegraph

The Telegraph

Thursday 21 April 2011

Telegraph.co.uk

Swearing can help relieve pain, study claims

Swearing after hurting yourself can help numb the pain of an injury, new research suggests.

Research proves that swearing triggers not only an emotional response, but a physical one too Photo: ALAMY

10:05AM BST 18 Apr 2011

25 Comments

Scientists from Keele University found that letting forth a volley of foul language can have a powerful painkilling effect, especially for people who do not normally use expletives.

To test the theory, student volunteers placed their hands in a bucket of ice cold water while swearing repeatedly.

They then repeated the exercise but, instead of swearing, used a harmless phrase instead.

Researchers found that the students were able to keep their hands submerged in the icy water for longer when repeating the swear word - establishing a link between swearing and an increase in pain tolerance.

They also found that the pain-numbing effect was four times more likely to work in the volunteers who did not normally use bad language.

The team believes the pain-lessening effect occurs because swearing triggers the ''fight or flight'' response.


The accelerated heart rates of the students repeating the swear word may indicate an increase in aggression, in a classic fight or flight response of ''downplaying feebleness in favour of a more pain-tolerant machismo''.


The research proves that swearing triggers not only an emotional response, but a physical one too, which may explain why the centuries-old practice of cursing developed and why it still persists today.


Dr Richard Stephens, who worked on the project, said: ''Swearing has been around for centuries and is an almost universal human linguistic phenomenon.


''It taps into emotional brain centres and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain.

''Our research shows one potential reason why swearing developed and why it persists.''

Access Content Source And Other Great Stuff: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8458163/Swearing-can-help-relieve-pain-study-claims.html

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http://dreamlearndobecome.blogspot.com This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.

Three Star Leadership Blog: Guidelines for talking to team members about their performance

Three Star Leadership Blog: Guidelines for talking to team members about their performance

Wally Bock - Three Star Leadership Blog

Wally Bock

4/19/2011

Guidelines for talking to team members about their performance

For years I asked participants in my new supervisor programs what part of the job they dreaded most. The answer was always "talking to team members about performance." In my experienced supervisor programs I asked what parts of their job the participants hated most. "Dealing with my boss" always ran neck-and-neck with "talking to team members about performance."


I titled the first version of the book that now anchors my Working Supervisor's Support Kit, How to Talk to People Who Work for You about Performance because it is such an important part of the job. Here are some guidelines to help you do better at this sensitive and vital task.


Here's the challenge in a nutshell. You want your team member to leave the conversation thinking about how they will do things differently in the future and not about how you treated them. Here are things you can do to increase the odds.


Don't put it off. Behavior and performance problems rarely get better with age.


Decide what you will talk about. It should be important and it should be either behavior or performance.


Decide how you will describe the subject. Leave the adjectives home. Use simple language to describe the facts.


Decide how you will describe the result of their performance or behavior. You can describe logical outcomes or emotional outcomes. You'll do better if you can describe both.


Minimize distractions. Have the conversation where you won't be interrupted by people or technology. Turn off or silence gear that can buzz, beep, or clang.


Tailor your opening to the person you're talking to. Some people are most comfortable if you open with a little polite conversation. Others want you to get right to the matter at hand. If you know your people, you'll know which to pick.


Say your piece, then shut up. Wait for your team member to talk. Wait as long as it takes.


When your team member speaks, you will have the basis for a conversation about how things will be different.


Boss's Bottom Line


Great bosses talk to their people about performance and behavior when it's necessary, even if it's uncomfortable, but they strive to make the experience both effective and as comfortable as possible.




Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.

Posted by Wally Bock at 4/19/2011 4:06 PM

Access Content Source And Other Great Stuff: http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2011/04/19/guidelines-for-talking-to-team-members-about-their-performance.aspx

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http://dreamlearndobecome.blogspot.com This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.

Casey B. Mulligan: Who Cheats on Their Taxes? - NYTimes.com

Casey B. Mulligan: Who Cheats on Their Taxes? - NYTimes.com

Factors such as reputational risk and education seem to determine the degree of cheating on income tax returns.

Access Content Source And Other Great Stuff: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/who-cheats-on-their-taxes/

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http://dreamlearndobecome.blogspot.com This posting was made my Jim Jacobs, President & CEO of Jacobs Executive Advisors. Jim also serves as Leader of Jacobs Advisors' Insurance Practice.