The Student Room Group

Biology/Phsycology Students or anyone who knows - Why do we get embarressed?

Hay,

I was wondering why we get embarressed? I have a few ideas, but dont know what is right.

1. Social conditioning = we are taught from a young age what is "soccially acceptable" so when we step outside the barriers we get embarressed.

2. Biological - Adrenaline is released (why? what porpose? so we can run away? fight or flight instinct?) Do animals become embarressed?

I think it is partly phsycological and partly physical response. Some people get embarressed more easily than others whould support pshycological conditioning = different up bringings. But do genes play any part?

Why cant we just decide not to be embarressed? We can in some circumstances, but not others...
Reply 1
does no one know? =\
Too... many... spelling... errors... :p:

I do neither yet have no idea. My knowledge goes as far as "our faces go red and we feel slightly hot", but I doubt that's the cause of it. :p:
You get embarrassed because you've made a complete clot of yourself and you lack the pure confidenceto not let it affect you. It is completely psychological whether you have made a clot of yourself, and also whether you notice it/give a damn. Apart from the psychological effects of feeling embarrassed, the physical effects are most likely down to elevated/erratic nervous activity based on how you feel, combined with perhaps hormone releases which trigger any other physical aspect to being embarrassed.