Dropping the F-bomb or other expletives may not only be an expression of agony, but also a means to alleviate it. Bad language could be good for you, a new study shows.

For the first time, psychologists have found that swearing may serve an important function in relieving pain.

The study, published in the journal NeuroReport, measured how long college students could keep their hands immersed in cold water.

During the chilly exercise, they could repeat an expletive of their choice or chant a neutral word.

When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer.

Researchers are now beginning to question the idea that the phenomenon is all bad.

“Swearing is such a common response to pain that there has to be an underlying reason why we do it,” said psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University in England, who led the study.

“I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear,” he added.

How swearing achieves its physical effects is unclear, but the researchers speculate that brain circuitry linked to emotion is involved.

Psychologist Steven Pinker of Harvard University, whose book The Stuff of Though includes a detailed analysis of swearing.

“Swearing taps into a defensive reflex in which an animal that is suddenly injured erupts in a furious struggle, accompanied by angry vocalisation, to startle an attacker,” he said.