The Effect of Verbal Encouragement with Swearing on High Intensity Exercise Performance

Introduction: Verbal encouragement has not been shown to reliably enhance performance on the Wingate Anaerobic Test (WAnT); however, research has found that when individuals swear during the WAnT, average power increases. This study examined whether incorporating swearing into verbal encouragement during a WAnT enhances performance, self-confidence, and psychological flow compared to standard verbal encouragement without swearing. Methods: Forty-one physically active participants (25 females, 16 males; age 20.8 ± 0.78 years) completed two counterbalanced laboratory visits involving verbal encouragement with swearing (VES) and without swearing (VE) while performing the WanT on a Wattbike Air ergometer. Average power, fatigue index, self-confidence, and psychological flow were measured. Results: No main effect of condition was found for average power (p = 0.071), self-confidence (p = 0.376) or flow (p = 0.414). However, a significant condition by sex interaction emerged for average power (p = 0.01, η²p = 0.16). Males exhibited lower average power under the VES condition compared to VE, whereas females showed no difference. Males also reported higher self-confidence than females overall (p = 0.049). Conclusions: Verbal encouragement that included swearing did not enhance WAnT performance, self-confidence, or flow. Instead, male participants’ performance declined when a female researcher provided VES. Guided by the Social Identity Theory, these results suggest that the motivational impact of verbal encouragement may depend on the social identity alignment between the encourager and the receiver. When swearing violates gender norms or expectations, it may heighten self-consciousness and inhibit performance rather than enhance it.