Are You Easily Embarrassed?

Many people are embarrassed easily – I was, as a child, but I’ve grown out of it in the last 70 years.  For long-term sufferers, a series of studies done at UC Berkeley reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology may bring some comfort. 

The first of 5 studies demonstrated that people who are easily embarrassed also reported greater ‘pro-sociality’ (voluntary behavior intended to benefit others or society as a whole), and behaved more generously than less embarrassed persons.

The other 4 studies also had positive results.  Individuals who are more ‘embarrassable’ were rated by observers as being more pro-social and less antisocial compared with other individuals who were indifferent or had a different emotion when placed in an embarrassing position. The observers were also more willing to give resources and willing to affiliate with the embarrassibles, rather than with others in the studies.

An important point: the type of embarrassment that was studied was very different from the ‘shame’ typically expressed if someone is caught cheating or performing some other moral transgression. People typically express embarrassment by looking downward to one side while partially covering their face; this may be accompanied by a smirk or grimace.  Shame is considered by the experts as a debilitating social anxiety; in shame, people often cover their entire face.

Now you know – moderate embarrassment is not a bad thing at all; it means you’re also likely to be more trustworthy, generous, and likeable.  You can read more of the design of the studies in a Medical News Today article – it’s quite interesting.

Comments

[Lumnaskin]

You have provided good information. I love reading more on such topics. Thanks for sharing this.
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