Psychology of Embarrassment

Embarrassment is a key individual feeling that we’ve all experienced, usually at the price of our own pride. It’s a condition of self-conscious problems that causes many of us to go red. And it’s something most of us give our very best to prevent. The APA’s Monitor has an exciting content this month, looking into the psychology of embarrassment and the analysis behind it. Embarrassment can act as a highly effective and valuable social bond enriching our public connections with others. But it can also have a down part, as we try to prevent it, sometimes at the price of our own wellness or pleasure. While there is little we can do to end embarrassment in every scenario, we can better comprehend the objective it provides in our psychological wellness. Knowing how it can provide and harm us indicates we’ll be better ready when it bursts up in our life.

The benefit of embarrassment, however, might rely on who is viewing. Anja Eller, PhD, an affiliate lecturer of social psychology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, has found that individuals are more likely to be uncomfortable when they err right in front of associates of their own social circle. Everyone is less uncomfortable when strangers see them fail, especially when the strangers are seen as lower in position.

Example: shopping for contraceptives. Scholars at Duke University found that buying contraceptives often brings about embarrassment, potentially putting individuals at risk of STI’s and unwanted child birth if they are too shocked to take the prophylactics through the checkout counter. That’s just one of many illustrations of embarrassment impacting our well-being. Men may fall short to get prostate examinations, women could miss mammograms, elderly people may prevent using assistive hearing devices, and individuals of all lines might fall short to bring up uncomfortable symptoms or put off going to the doctor completely.