Can swearing help you push through a workout or other challenging physical task? 

According to a new study published on Thursday in the journal American Psychologist, dropping that F-bomb does more than express your frustration at a physically intensive situation. It can help you focus more, let go of whatever is holding you back and help you finish the task. 

The study proposes that «swearing, a simple and universally accessible linguistic tool, can function as an effective intervention to counteract tendencies to hold back, and enhance performance,» says Richard Stephens of Keele University’s School of Psychology.

The study was conducted by four researchers from two institutions: Richard Stephens, Harry Dowber and Christopher Richardson from the School of Psychology at Keele University in England; and Nicholas B. Washmuth from the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The group conducted two experiments to determine whether swearing can enhance physical performance and whether the act facilitates a state in which individuals are less likely to hold back on their behavior. 

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In both experiments, researchers asked participants to raise and support their body weight using only their hands against a chair seat for as long as they could. 

The participants chose a swear word and a neutral word and were asked to repeat the two selected words every two seconds. The results found that using the swear word significantly increased the amount of time participants were able to maintain holding up their body weight, versus using the neutral word. 

The second experiment doubled down on the first with 94 new participants, but introduced bystander apathy, which is linked to disinhibition. The idea was that people performing strenuous exercise at the gym might feel concerned about how others view them, only to realize that those people are too invested in their own workouts to care about what others think. Acknowledging the apathy of others, according to the study, can boost your own efforts and enhance your performance. 

Ultimately, the experiments supported the idea that swearing allowed participants to maintain a longer hold time. Using the swear word allowed them to break through previously held restraints and reach their goal, thereby increasing self-confidence and fostering a positive psychological flow state. 

So swear away, it might improve your next workout.

Let there be light — as in more light, as in a brighter screen for the iMac. Apple is reportedly working on outfitting its desktop computer with an OLED screen that will be 20% brighter than the current model.

South Korean newspaper The Elec reported that Apple sent its specs for the OLED version to both Samsung Display and LG Display for them to bid on the project. Apple reportedly wants a 24-inch display panel with 600 nits brightness, a 20% jump from the 500 nits currently used on iMacs. (A nit is a measure of brightness for screens — one nit equals one candela per square meter. The average candle produces about one candela.)

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In terms of other specifications, the screen size (24 inches) and resolution (218 pixels per inch) will remain the same as those on current iMacs, which utilize a liquid crystal display.

OLED stands for organic light-emitting diode and is a newer, more expensive screen technology that typically offers better image quality than LCD. We break down the differences in technology between LCD and OLED here.

A representative for Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The downside is that iMac fans will have to be patient to get a brighter screen. The Elec report says development of the iMac OLED panels won’t be complete until 2027 or even 2028, with launch expected sometime after that.

It’s all part of Apple’s movement toward OLED displays for its devices. The company has already done so with the Apple Watch, iPhone, and iPad, and the MacBook Pro is reportedly going to be OLED in 2026.

More from CNET: OLED vs. LED: What’s the Best TV Display Technology for You?

YouTuber Austin Evans, who has 5.7 million subscribers on his channel where he reviews gadgets and cutting-edge tech, is excited about iMacs getting a brighter screen.

«I am very excited for this,» Evans said. «My main office computer is an iMac M3, it’s certainly not a perfect device, but I do think it fits a nice, albeit small, niche in the lineup. … Going OLED would absolutely be an improvement to image quality.»

Evans also disagrees with those who say the iMac isn’t robust enough.

«There’s an interesting thread, especially among creators, that the iMac isn’t powerful enough for pro uses, but I have to disagree,» he said. «It might not compete with the Mac Mini on price to performance, but with an OLED, it could be an incredibly well-rounded package.»

Did Wordle keep you busy this year? Some words are more challenging than others. INBOX — the Wordle answer on April 19 — was this year’s most difficult Wordle puzzle in the US, according to the language learning platform Preply, which connects learners with tutors. 

Preply identified the trickiest word by analyzing Google search interest for «Wordle hint» across every puzzle from January to November. It selected the toughest puzzles by examining which ones «produced the largest relative spikes nationally and within each US state.»

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Preply listed nine other words that ranked as the hardest in 2025. (It looks like Aug. 13-14 was a particularly stressful period for puzzlers.) Here’s a look at the top 10.

1. INBOX (April 19)
2. EDIFY (June 6)
3. KEFIR (Aug. 13)
4. KNELL (Aug. 14)
5. LORIS (July 18)
6. QUOTA (March 30)
7. HAZEL (April 7)
8. IDIOM (May 30)
9. IMBUE (Aug. 8)
10. GIZMO (Nov. 11)

EDIFY — which means to instruct or improve — and KEFIR — a fermented milk drink — may have led to a lot of Google searches. 

But not all Wordles were brain-busters. Preply found the easiest puzzles to solve in 2025 were CHAIR (Sept. 11), BLUNT (Sept. 24) and SPORT (May 27). 

Spotify Wrapped for Wordle, kind of

You’re familiar with Spotify Wrapped, the music service’s annual roundup of each user’s year in Spotify songs. There’s a similar yearly recap for YouTube videos. Now, The New York Times is getting in on the trend with a year-end recap for players of Wordle and its other games, like Connections. 

For Wordle, the Times’ Year in Games roundup shows how many days you solved a puzzle, what time of day you did most of your solving, which Wordle you solved the fastest, how many guesses it took you on average and your most common starter word.

For Connections, it shows how many times you solved it without any mistakes, what the year’s trickiest puzzle was (hint: that one with all the symbols) and which color category you usually solved first.

For Spelling Bee, it shows how many words you found all year, what your longest found word was, how many times you used all seven letters to find a pangram and how many times you reached Genius level.

For Strands, it shows how many times you solved it without any hints and what your longest streak was.

The roundup also shows what your most-played game was this year. (Connections for the win!) As with other similar roundups, you’re able to share your result summary if you want.

For more coverage on puzzles, you can check out CNET’s daily answers and hints for Wordle, The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands. And you can view our guide to the most popular letters to make your starter word as strong as possible.