Di: 0:00

All right, guys, I need you to buckle up because today we're going to have a little sit down with Noam Manor. This isn't a session that's like your grandma's sports psychology session. Okay, noam is the real deal. He holds a bachelor's in behavioral sciences and a master's in sports and exercise psychology, and that seems not to be enough for him. So he's actually currently working on his doctorate at the Ariel University. I love talking with him because Noam's been in the trenches with elite athletes, with teams building mental toughness that actually translates to wins. He teaches coaches and athletes how to cultivate that winning mindset. I love that he's coming onto the show because it can also help us deal with pressure and crush anxiety and basically just turn our inner critic into our biggest cheerleader. So today we're going to be talking about something I've always been curious about and actually pretty passionate about that's self-talk. But seriously, like I said, I need you to buckle up because we're not shying away from the juicy stuff. We're getting real about cursing and swearing in sports, which is what he is actually researching for his doctorate, and he's going really deep. So let's get tips from the master and let's dive right in.

Di: 1:34

Are you tired of the wellness industry bullshit, the endless fads, the contradictory advice, the influencers pushing products they don't even use. Yeah Well, so am I. This is Bodyholic the podcast that helps you weed through the crap so you can get to the real deal about your health, fitness and well-being. We're going to ditch the fluff and the pseudoscience and the hype to bring you real talk, real experts and real strategies that actually work. And seriously. The information provided in this podcast is intended for general knowledge and informational purposes only and does not constitute as medical advice. It is essential to consult with a qualified health care professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your health or treatment. Welcome, almost, dr Manor. How are you?

Noam: 2:27

I'm fine. I think Almost. It's a big compliment. I have three more years left, but I'm on my way.

Noam: 2:37

It will happen happen and uh yeah, and you also know that I'm super excited, um, about what you're doing, so maybe just in a few words, tell everybody what you're doing okay, so I'm noam noam ano and I'm a phd student for sports sciences, and my research in my phd is about swearing in sports and exercise, but not just regular swearing like swearing at someone. It's about swearing like using a foul language as a part of your self-talk, for example, I want to check why like what are the reasons that athletes, coaches, general exercisers why they use swear words during their training and competition, and how does it help them and what frequency they do that and which swear words they use. So I'm gathering a lot of information about this phenomenon because it's happening a lot, especially in competitive sport, but also sometimes when people just go to the gym or all that. So there is no data on this phenomenon. So, yeah, I took it under my PhD and now I'm studying it.

Di: 4:10

In general, I find the whole idea of self-talk in sports really, really fascinating, and from speaking to you already, it seems to me that when it comes to cursing, I have discovered through you that it's an art, that there is an actual art to it. There is, it can't, it doesn't help if it's a certain way, but it does help if it's another way, and so let's kick things off with a little bit of insight in terms of that. So I remember you specifically saying to me that if you're swearing at someone, that's not what we're talking about.

Noam: 4:54

Yeah, so yeah, also when I did my research. Now I'm about to publish it, hopefully in a respectful sports psychology journal. But yeah, there is a difference between swearing at someone like in I don't know a foolish move with your car or whatever, and then I can be mad at you and I will say, oh man, what is this stupid woman is doing, right? So I used it as a part of my self-talk. I didn't say to yourself it's not like we are in a conversation.

Noam: 5:47

I used it probably to express frustration and to downgrade you and to make myself like she's an idiot, which means that I'm better than her. So it helps me feel better, like what is what this idiot woman is doing, right? So it's completely different than saying to someone in his face you are an idiot. And also, um, let's say, you made a mistake, like you almost. You wanted to go through the, the green light and you didn't make it, and you are in a rush and you had to go to work and you're like, oh man, fuck, how come I missed that green light? So it's different than cursing someone else, right? Because now it was part of your self-talk. And you again use the word fuck to express frustration, right, but you didn't say to anyone else it was part of your self-talk. You didn't say that you are a fuck person, right? It's not. It's not meant to your self-worth or self-confidence, but you just used a swear word, a taboo word. Basically illustrate how you feel right now. So and it has to be taboo, I'm swearing at someone.

Di: 7:07

And in order to actually have that kind of release, it has to be taboo.

Noam: 7:15

Yeah, yeah, because the definition of a swear word it's taboo words that are considered insultive or not appropriate or whatever. So when you swear, it immediately means that you use taboo words, obviously words that have the potential to cause harm or to cause discomfort or something like that.

Di: 7:42

Yeah, so so the effect of me saying oh fudge is not the same of me saying oh it's not, probably not, it's probably not.

Noam: 7:54

There was a research in 2020. They wanted to compare the word fuck against a new word, like they just invented words, like, like, really stupid words, and they wanted to see if, just by saying any word versus the word fuck, does it, um provide the same benefits. So the researchers asked them to put their hand in a cold, presser task, and the mission was to hold your hand as long as you can in the cold water while either swearing, using the word fuck or saying new words that the researchers invented. And the results were obvious when they said fuck, fuck, they held longer, and when they used just new words, it didn't provide the same benefit that's amazing yeah, the brain process swear words differently than other words.

Noam: 9:00

That's why swearing is so powerful, because it's a different linguistic. It's really different. It's a very fascinating subject.

Di: 9:13

It's interesting to check even blood tests with athletes when they use swear words During a very competitive Situation. Doesn't matter what sport it is, but they're full on and can check to see Like hormone levels Of I don't know what would be. What would be the hormone? Probably.

Noam: 9:42

Okay, so basically.

Di: 9:44

Adrenaline. Yeah, so it's probably going.

Noam: 9:46

So basically adrenaline, yeah, so it's, it's probably gonna be adrenaline and cortisol, because these are like the fight or flight hormones and basically it is still not really known what are the mechanisms behind the effect of swearing. So some research finds that when people swear, their sympathetic nervous system like how do I say it in easy words? Like the nervous system that is responsible for activating your fight or flight response. So one of the proxy, one of the signs that the fight or flight system is activated, it's by increasing your heart rate. So some studies show that when you swear, your heart rate increase, but some studies show that it's not happening. So there are conflicting, conflict findings. So we don't really know what are the mechanisms behind it. Some studies show that it's increasing aggression. Some studies show that it doesn't increase aggression.

Noam: 10:53

So there are a lot of mystery behind why swearing works for most people, not for everyone, for most people. Some people will swear during a like challenging task and it will not help them. But for the majority of people we see it in the in the research for the majority of people, when they swear during challenging times, it will provide them with benefits. Depends on the situation if they are dealing with pain, like physical pain, whether they are dealing with a very stressful situation. So, for example, I can tell my own story. I'm really afraid of heights. That's my problem. Yeah, I have really strong afraid of heights. So I went to Costa Rica with a friend and we wanted to do what's it called Omega, omega.

Noam: 11:43

Omega I think so, and it was very high.

Di: 11:45

Say it again? I think no. What's it called Like?

Noam: 11:46

Omega, omega, omega. I think so, and it was very high, say it again.

Di: 11:48

No, I think it is.

Noam: 11:50

Yeah, so Omega, like when you go on a zip line, zip lining, zip lining okay.

Noam: 11:58

So we wanted to do zipline and it was very, very high, like. And when you look it from from the earth and you look up, you say, ah, okay, it's not that high, it's not that. Oh my god, yeah. And then you start to go up by. It was like a some kind of an elevator or whatever. And then suddenly you go up, you're going and you're like, oh man, this is this is not. This is very high, like. And it goes up, goes up and goes up and you're like, oh man, what did I put myself into?

Noam: 12:24

And I started to feel panic, like my heart was racing and I thought to myself, maybe it's not for me, maybe I should quit. And then I see this grandma standing near me, very cool, just waiting to start, and I'm like I'm talking to myself and I'm saying to myself, no, what the fuck is wrong with you? Look at this grandma. If she can do it, you can do it as well, like. And then I said, no matter what, even if I die today, I'm doing this zipline. And I was terrified. But I told my friend listen, when this guy is going to push me, I'm going to scream and swear, like really. So be prepared. And once he pushed me I was like motherfucker, blah, blah, blah and like I was really yelling, and it really helped me cope with the situation.

Di: 13:13

I was screaming and swearing were you doing it on purpose, like I'm thinking of myself?

Noam: 13:20

it was a strategic call. I told to myself okay, it is what it is. The only way I can deal with that it's by just exploding and swear the horrible swear words I can possibly think of. And everyone were laughing. Everyone were laughing, but I said I don't give a fuck. That's why that's my way of coping with this very stressful situation. And then I did an experiment. During the zipline I told myself let's try to be quiet for two seconds. The moment I stopped swearing I felt the panic again and then I said okay, fuck motherfucker.

Noam: 14:04

Oh my gosh it was a very good way of coping with this stressful situation like it was. It saved me, I'm not joking. And then and I also had another accident, like some kind of event that is similar to this one in a different country and then I said, okay, we have something here, we have something. And then I started to see, and then I started to see that there is research about it, that it helps people cope with pain and increase a physical performance also. So I'm like, wow, we have something here.

Noam: 14:38

But then I I looked at the research and I said, but wait a second, no research is done on competitive athletes. Like there is no data on why, what, how often and so on about swearing as a part of athletes, coaches and general exercises, self-talk. So, and then I said, okay, I'm going to explore this one and this is my phd subject and and again, and also also yesterday, I'm a sports psychologist. Yeah, so yesterday I met with an athlete and I really asked him to use swear words in specific situations. Like I told him, let's start using more swear words during specific situations before, during and after the game to help you cope with different situations. I don't think ever a psychologist told his, let's say patient, start to swear more. But I never said that I'm a regular psychologist.

Di: 15:48

No, I love that it was a strategic call, because I know for me, if I did the zip line, I would absolutely start screaming, cursing the whole way. But it wouldn't be a strategy, it would totally be my complete gut reaction.

Noam: 16:07

So it can be. So we also know, if we leave the swearing aside, we also know that our motivational self-talk, like when we give ourselves a pep talk, come on, you can do it, and all that it can be both spontaneous, like it can come immediately, and it can also be strategically. For example, I can sit at home and I know that tomorrow I'm going to have a match or a competition and I'm going to tell myself, okay, noam, let's say tomorrow you encounter this and this like a stressful situation, or maybe you make a mistake. So once it happens, just tell yourself no, I'm, let's get over it, come on, you can do it, just go on. And so on and so on. So it can be both strategic, like I can think about it before and then use it when I need it and it can also be spontaneous.

Noam: 16:59

So we know this thing about motivational self-talk. So it's also happening. About swearing, like you said, it just happened naturally, right? So for me it was a strategic call. I said to myself, okay, I'm going to do it, but I'm going to scream as hell and swear as hell, and that's how I'm going to do it, because if I can't swear, I'm not able to do it Because I felt such fear I had to let it go. You know, yeah.

Di: 17:28

Oh my God. So the Bodyholic podcast format has become relatively short. We're keeping things short and um, so it's really important for me to ask you what the funniest or most creative curse word you've ever heard an athlete use.

Noam: 17:52

This has to be answered before we're done with today's conversation uh, actually, first of all, I want to mention that uh, fuck, it was cited as the most funny word funny swear word in english. There is research about it. Yeah, I can send it to you later. Rated number one is the most funniest word. Um, that's one second. To be honest, I didn't hear funny swear like. Each swear word can be funny, depends on the situation. Okay, so one time I heard like an Arabic player. I was a sports psychology of a football team, like soccer team, and we had an Arabic player and like when they swear, it's sometimes funny for me because they're like, because we, we use the same cursing more or less they say we say andarmuta and so on, and so on Right.

Di: 19:03

This is in Hebrew and in Arabic. Yes, this is in Hebrew, same cursive yeah, yes, exactly.

Noam: 19:08

But when you hear like an Arab guy, like a teenager getting hit by another player and he got really pain, and then he screams, but with the strong accent, like with the strong arabic accent, so it can be funny because you really feel that he's really feeling bad right now because the way he pronounced it, like the yeah, but in you know, with the arabic he's. He's actually pronouncing it correctly correctly, but with a lot of emotion. Like you hear it and you're like, oh man, this guy is in pain right now because he was really like it wasn't just it was, it was very deep, you know.

Noam: 19:59

So I specifically remember that moment because it was funny for me to hear it.

Di: 20:04

But you had to keep a straight face.

Noam: 20:06

Sorry.

Di: 20:07

But you had to keep a straight face.

Noam: 20:11

I had a smile. Yeah, I had a smile, but yeah, that's the most funny moment I remember about swearing, because there are not swear words that are funny or that are special. It just depends on the situation and who says them. So, for example, when someone that is not regularly swearing and then you hear them swear, so sometimes it can be funny because, hey, what's going on? You never swear, right.

Di: 20:37

Right.

Noam: 20:38

So it depends on the person, on the situation. So it's not really straightforward. It basically depends well, I think.

Di: 20:45

I think in comedy in general, it's if the element of surprise is um is what causes the laugh yeah, it can, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it can be one of the reasons to cause the laugh.

Noam: 20:59

yeah, yeah, surprise, yeah, surprise. It's a main reason, yeah.

Di: 21:09

I agree. Does cursing tell us?

Noam: 21:12

something about an athlete's mindset. Yeah, cursing self-talk. In general we call it like a window to the athlete's mind, because the way people speak to themselves tell us about how they feel right now. Because we know that behavior and emotion and and cognition are correlated and influence each other and influenced by each other. So when a person have a thought in his mind doesn't matter if it's motivational, if it's swearing, if it's just regular it shows us how the person feels right now and once and how he feels about the world or himself or other people. So when I hear someone swear as a part of their self-talk like, let's say, a football player missed a penalty it's obviously a bad moment for him. So when you look at his face with a camera and he says, oh goddammit, fuck, fucking fuck or whatever, you know, from my perspective, I fucking fuck, or whatever you know from my perspective, you know, I know that he feels shitty right now, yeah, it's because he's basically using according to everything you've said, he's using a pain reliever by person.

Noam: 22:35

In this moment it depends If he's like oh man, fuck, so it's probably a little bit different than oh fuck, like there is a little bit difference, but yeah, he's obviously using it to release emotion. Like obviously if he's yelling like fuck. So obviously it's more a release than saying just, oh man, fuck. You know, it also depends on the way you pronounce it.

Di: 23:05

Yeah, on the tone.

Noam: 23:07

On the tone, yeah, but basically they use it to release them or to release bad emotions and to cope with the situation. Like, oh man, fuck, like when you say, when you say a swear word according to a specific situation, it's also a way to I'm trying to find the word to acknowledge that something happened, something bad happened, like you don't try to neglect it or to ignore it. You acknowledge it. That while you're swearing, you acknowledge the situation, that you are aware of what's happening right now. You're not telling to yourself oh, nothing happened, all good In this world. It's like you know that you are in a shitty situation and maybe it helps you to realize, okay, I'm in a shitty situation, what I'm going to do now to improve myself. So it's like acknowledging the moment that I'm in a bad moment. I think this is also one purpose.

Di: 24:10

I think it's the opposite of keeping things pent up inside.

Noam: 24:15

This is the main reason, obviously.

Di: 24:18

So there's a cathartic.

Noam: 24:20

Exactly exactly. In my research I found that one of the main reasons that athletes, coaches and general exercisers swear as a part of their self-talk it's for emotional catharsis. So, to let off steam, like to let go of bad emotions that you feel that are building up inside, and if you're not letting them go so you will explode. Well, it's like a valve. Yeah, you release what's going inside right now, because when you have bad emotions, also positive emotion, because we can also swear when we are in a positive mood. For example, let's say I'm a football fan and I see my team scores a goal. I'm like fuck, yeah, right.

Di: 25:06

Right, it's the extreme emotion, like a valve for the extreme emotion.

Noam: 25:11

Exactly exactly. And emotions fills you up with energy. And if this energy is not finding a way to go in a proper way Freud talked about it that if you don't let energy go out of you, bad energy go out from you Okay so it will find a way to go out, but if you don't let it go out in a proper way, it will find another way to go out, but in a bad way.

Di: 25:41

You know.

Noam: 25:42

so that's why I'm saying Aggression, maybe towards someone else or towards yourself, or Exactly exactly, and it will build up inside you and it can find a different way to come out because it's like water. It's like you have a leak in your home and the water will find a way to go out, like because it's energy. So it's probably best to just let it go in a proper way, use a swear word, let it go out of your system, and then it can help you bring back your mental clarity and then you can let it go. Okay, now let's focus. What can I do now?

Di: 26:21

It's like the path to resilience. It's really very cool.

Noam: 26:25

Exactly, and one reason we find that people use swear also it's for mental strength, to enhance their self-confidence and also their resilience. So you can basically, as you can see, we have a lot of functions for swearing. So a lot of people try to teach their kids don't swear, don't swear right, and I think this is not the right way. I think we should. We should teach kids about when to swear and and like how to use it strategically. We are not encouraging people to swear all the time we are. I think it's best to encourage kids to swear in specific moments, to just feel better and to cope with stressful situations better, because swear words have a lot of power. We know it from research, so why not use it?

Di: 27:19

You just opened up a whole conversation for our next meeting.

Noam: 27:27

Hopefully.

Di: 27:30

How wonderful, and thank you so, so much. I would even say let's next time we meet, let's continue exploring this with how we educate our children, and also, like, let's go a little bit further into how you would coach your team, that you're the sports psychologist um with them, or your clients, etc. It would be really interesting, um. Thank you so much for just a one word, just one word.

Noam: 28:05

It's been a while since I speak the English like for so long, so if my English wasn't the best, I will work on it and next time it will be better.

Di: 28:15

All right. Well, you know what? First of all, your English was actually fantastic, but you can also kind of curse your way through it. And and, and you know, you'll get better and better.

Noam: 28:28

Do you know that curse, that when people say swear, it's American, and when people say curse it's UK.

Di: 28:36

Really.

Noam: 28:37

I hope that I'm not confusing like cursing it's in the US, but I'm 99% sure that swearing it's American and cursing it's in the UK, 99% sure.

Di: 28:51

I'm going to check this.

Noam: 28:53

Just for you know, like a fun fact. Thanks for having me.

Di: 29:00

Toxin. Thank you so so much for your time and for joining us.

Noam: 29:03

Thank you.

Di: 29:04

Hey, thanks so much for tuning in and if this hit home, please share it with your crew. Likes, comments, shares show your loved ones you care.