IStock Photo 4319493 © Triggermouse Productions

Americans have always been serious about teeth. In a 1917 article from the American Journal of Nursing, J. W. Beach called the “family toothbrush” one of the “bulwarks of present-day civilization.” Seven years later, Beach’s theory found its way to Healthville, a miniature town created by the students of Westhaven, Virginia. Little more than a collection of tiny stations along a toy railroad, the town was a testament to good living. Each stop exemplified a pillar of public health—Spinach Greens, Orange Valley, Bathtub Village, Height-Weight Village, Long Sleep Mountain (“the highest peak in Healthville”). Arguably the most important stop, however, was East Toothbrush.

Today, the odds an adult brushes his or her teeth twice daily or after every meal are 1 in 1.28(78%). But even though most Americans work hard at keeping their teeth clean of tartar and plaque, just as many are guilty of having dirty mouths: 1 in 1.27 (79%) people use swear words in daily conversation. At some points in history, cursing has been considered far more dangerous than forgetting to brush. As critic and essayist Edwin P. Whipple wrote in 1885, the “disease of profanity is infectious. It spreads like the measles, the scarlet fever, and diphtheria.” New England’s early settlers apparently felt the same way. Under Puritan law, swearing could be punished by giving the offender a whipping, branding him with a hot iron, or boring a hole through his tongue.

But is a dirty mouth that much of a danger? A recent article in NeuroReport points to some positive effects of swearing. In the study, undergraduates at Keele University in the UK were asked to immerse their hands in ice-cold water. Those students who were allowed to swear during the experiment showed increased pain tolerance and decreased pain perception—they were able to keep their hands submerged for longer. Far from exaggerating the effects of the freezing water, swearing helped to downplay them.

Had the builders of Healthville known about the benefits of cursing, they might have added one more stop along the toy railroad: Profanity Glades.