Here’s the reason behind blushing
Reason Behind Blushing – Why does your face turn red when you are shy, feeling embarrassed, or if you are in a shameful situation?
When you blush, it is the uncontrollable and unexpected reaction of your body to a certain situation. Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey said that indeed people blush when they are embarrassed or ashamed.
A simple awkward situation can make you blush. Based on the article in Reader’s Digest, Charles Darwin believed that blushing is “the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.” Other animals in the world do not have this kind of reaction.
During an embarrassing or shameful situation, the bodily system is triggered as the fight-or-flight response. “The glands release adrenaline to your body, which causes the widening of capillaries, so blood comes closer to the surface, and you see the redness,” Dr. Small explained.
This is not the same thing when you feel fear or stress. Being embarrassed or feeling ashamed is considered “social pain” and it is because humans’ survival as a species is so dependent on our sense of belonging. Being left out or cast out is considered a threat like being chased by a tiger.
Blushing evolved and mainly it is because of the survival benefits of being liked. “Blushing elicits empathy from the observer. It builds bonds. That’s key for human survival,” Dr. Small said.
Humans are social animals and their survival is mainly attributed to being part of a group. Dr. Small said that being a part of a group or community, there is better survival from predators. Protecting and helping each member of the group or community happen. Certain rules are being observed in this group or community and when one commits a mistake, the conflict can be solved by a sincere apology.
Based on the studies done by researchers, blushing can be a way to communicate a sincere apology better than other mannerisms.
As there are a lot of aspects that can make your face turn red, psychologists cited that true blushing is associated with emotions related to self-consciousness and how we think we appear to others.
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