[One Sip of a Book] Why Swearing Reduces Pain

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with the reader’s heart, creating a connection with the book. Here, we excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books. - Editor’s note

The Ig Nobel Prize is an award created in 1991 by the humor science magazine Annals of Improbable Research, published by Harvard University in the United States, as a parody of the Nobel Prize. It is given to papers that contain ingenious and unconventional ideas, sharp satire, or extraordinary interpretations?research that is amusing but in some sense, others might wish had not been done. Psychologists Professors Kim Kyung-il, Lee Yoon-hyung, and Kim Tae-hoon kindly introduce the content.

Comparing Korean singers, the Nobel Prize is like Cho Yong-pil, while the Ig Nobel Prize is like Yoo Jae-ha. Cho Yong-pil is undoubtedly the king of Korean pop music, having released dozens of albums and numerous masterpieces over several decades. Similarly, the Nobel Prize cannot be won with just one brilliant paper; it is awarded for the vast body of research accumulated over many years. The fact that it is difficult to receive a Nobel Prize before the age of 40 alone shows its scale and significance. On the other hand, Yoo Jae-ha released only one album and died young, but that single album earned him much praise. This aspect clearly illustrates the nature of the Ig Nobel Prize.

_ Page 15 (What is the Ig Nobel Prize?)

The effect of pain relief from swearing was greater in women, and their heart rates increased more than men’s. Just as medicine tends to work better for people who don’t usually take it, women tend to swear less than men, so the effect of swearing was interpreted to be greater in women. In other words, the more frequently a person swears, the less effective it becomes.

In summary, swearing in painful situations helps people endure better and feel less pain. Considering that this effect was more pronounced in women, it can be said that swearing, like medicine, works best when used appropriately in necessary situations.

_ Pages 29-30 (Swearing can be medicine if used well)

So, when making a voodoo doll, should it actually resemble the target boss? In fact, it doesn’t need to; writing the boss’s name on the doll and imagining them is sufficient. If the doll looks exactly like the target, the effect may be diminished. Sticking pins into a doll that looks exactly like the person you want to curse can feel like physically harming them, which may cause guilt. This can lead to regret over losing self-control and acting excessively, resulting in a worsened mood rather than emotional cleansing. In other words, taking revenge on a symbolic figure that slightly resembles the target is said to have the greatest psychological cleansing effect.

In this way, you write the name of the person who troubled you today in red on the voodoo doll. Even if the act of sticking pins feels uncomfortable, just writing the name may provide some comfort to our troubled hearts and anger.

_ Pages 56-57 (Voodoo dolls, do they really work?)

Reading the Ig Nobel Prize | Kim Kyung-il, Lee Yoon-hyung, Kim Tae-hoon, Sapiens Studio | HanbitBiz | 292 pages | 17,500 KRW