All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.

There's a saying in the Marine Corps: pain is weakness leaving the body.

Perhaps it takes a strong man or woman to endure physical pain in silence. But a new study says there may be a better way: swearing.

Researchers at Keele University in England asked more than sixty people to submerge their hands in icy water and repeat a favorite curse word. They then stuck the other hand in the water and repeated something more family friendly. When they cussed a blue streak every one of them could endure the cold for longer.

It may have something to do with the fight or flight mechanism in our brains - a rush triggered by the use of those swear words.

So the next time you stub your toe, or burn your finger on a hot pan, provided there are no kids around, maybe it's okay to use those four-letter words.

If you get horrified looks from your friends, tell them a little weakness just left your body.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

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Every year, some 400,000 newborns in this country end up in intensive care, many undergoing painful procedures intended to keep them alive.

They face things like needle pricks, intubation and shots - and each procedure can be traumatic. But they don't necessarily have to be.

To learn more, just click on the monitor.