Richard Stephens

Biography

I have been involved with psychology for more than 3 decades. I have developed an international reputation for research on alcohol and emotional language. My research on the benefits of swearing for pain tolerance and for performing physical tasks is very well known and has been portrayed numerous times in the media. 

I have given 9 keynote lectures at academic conferences and an additional 67 conference presentations. I have given invited talks about my research to 27 university departments and I have given 29 talks at popular science events, schools and colleges, including a TEDx talk. 

I am passionately interested in science communication, which is writing about science for non-academic audiences. In this arena I won the 2014 Wellcome Trust & Guardian Science Writing Prize, and 2015 marked the worldwide publication of my popular science book, Black Sheep The Hidden Benefits of Being Bad, to critical acclaim. The book won the 2017 British Psychological Society Book of the Year Award (Popular Science Category). 

I have had popular science articles published across print media and blogs, with over 1 million reads on The Conversation. These include, ”Think swearing isn’t big or clever? Think again”, “The psychology of roller coasters”, “The science of saying sorry”, and “Swearing can help you boost your physical performance". 

I have served on the committee of the British Psychological Society Psychologist and Digest Editorial Advisory Committee since January 2017. I am a former Chair of the British Psychological Society Psychobiology Section (2013-2017) and continue to serve as a committee member. I am or have been external examiner for the BSc Psychology courses at Westminster University, Surrey University and Queen Mary University London. I became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy on 15^th October 2015, recognition number PR094004. 

For latest updates follow me on twitter: @psychologyrich

I am always pleased to hear from students interested in working on a PhD under my supervision. An ideal starting point for a PhD is for me to supervise your dissertation on the MSc Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience here at Keele. Please get in touch by email.

Research and scholarship

Psychological benefits of swearing 

I have a long-standing interest in the psychological benefits of swearing, an area which I research using experimental psychology methodologies. My most recent paper, published in 2020, assessed whether we can mimic the beneficial effects of swearing on pain using newly invented swear words. This research, sponsored by Nurofen, reached an audience of 84 million people via stories in the media. Recent published studies have assessed taboo gesticulations, effects of swearing on strength and power performance, whether swearing shows cross-cultural effects, and a study of how altering one’s level of emotional arousal affects swearing fluency. 

MSc and PhD Supervision

I'd be very pleased to speak to prospective MSc or PhD students about supervising dissertation research in any of the above areas. Please get in touch by email.

Teaching

Modules lead by Dr Stephens

• PSY-10038 Science Communication
• PSY-30099 Key Readings in Cognitive Psychology

Modules on which Dr Stephens is a lecturer or tutor

• PSY-10031 Introduction to statistics for psychology
• PSY-10033 Introduction to developmental and social psychology
• PSY-10034 Introduction to biological and cognitive psychology
• PSY-20044 Statistics for Psychology
• PSY-20045 Biological Psychology Perception and Cognition
• PSY-30061 Final Year Project
• PSY-30067 Individual Differences and Conceptual Issues
• PSY-40039 Advanced Research Skills and Design
• PSY-40075 Advanced Study in Cognition and Cognitive Neuroscience

Videos

Roles

• Research Leader of the Psychobiology Research Laboratory
• Year Two Tutor
• Open Day and Offer Holder Day Team Member
• Marketing & Admissions Co-ordinator