‘Permacrisis’ revealed as word of the year

Liz Truss — (Image credit: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images)

“Splooting” is one of the most influential words of 2022, according to dictionary publisher HarperCollins. The popularity of the term, which refers to when a dog or cat lies flat on its stomach with its hind legs stretched out behind it, may be due to animals being observed stretching out in a “sploot” during the heatwaves of 2022, said The Telegraph. The publisher of the Collins Dictionary named “permacrisis” as the word of the year. A spokesperson said the word “sums up quite succinctly just how truly awful 2022 has been for many people”.

The positive side of swearing revealed

Swearing can make us seem more persuasive, can have a positive impact on relationships, can help us deal with road rage and ease our perception of pain, according to a new study. Researchers from the UK and Sweden, who examined 100 academic papers on swearing said we should “reconsider the nature and power” of swearing. “It seems that the Sex Pistols were right when they said ‘never mind the bollocks’”, said The Times.

Happy marriage helps your heart

A happy marriage helps heart attack patients make a faster recovery, found scientists at Yale University. After examining 1,593 married adults with an average age of 47 who were treated for a heart attack at 103 hospitals across the United States, the experts found that the patients with the unhappiest marriages were 50% more likely to be readmitted to hospital for any reason over the next year. About 100,000 people are “admitted to UK hospitals each year with heart attacks”, according to The Times.