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Think pink! People are more forgiving if you blush after making a social blunder.
Brides and bashful types aren't the only ones who blush. Most of us have felt our cheeks burn up at least occasionally.
But next time a rush of blood and heat give your face and neck a crimson glow, don't feel embarrassed. A new study suggests some unexpected benefits of blushing: It found that people who turn red after making a mistake or social blunder were considered more trustworthy and judged more positively than those who did not.
In the research, published in the April issue of the journal Emotion, 196 college students (ages 17 to 44) played a prisoner's dilemma game online. During the game's first round, a virtual opponent cooperated with the participant's playing strategy and each shared the winnings. But after the second round, the opponent defected and earned a bigger payout than the participant.
After both rounds, participants were shown photographs of their virtual female opponent bearing one of four expressions: neutral, neutral with a blush, embarrassment, and embarrassment plus blush. When students were asked to do a "trust task" at the end of the game, they judged the defector less harshly when she blushed and thought she was less likely to defect again. Participants even gave a blushing, neutral faced opponent more prize money during the trust task and rated her more honest than someone without rosy cheeks.
"After you do something wrong, people like you more when you blush," says Corine Dijk, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, and the study's lead author.
Charles Darwin once described a blush as "the most peculiar and most human of all expressions," and it's a reaction we have no control over.
Color that may begin at your neck, spread to your checks and forehead, and extend to your ears, tends to appear following a mistake, when a secret is exposed, or after a compliment. "The common thing in all these situations is that you are extremely self-conscious," suggests Dijk.
Blushing is an important way that humans display their emotions and it has an appeasing effect on people after a social gaffe. It "signals that you care about others opinions," says Dijk, and that's generally a good thing.
Dijk describes more intriguing facts about blushing:
- Self-conscious personalities are most likely to blush, especially socially anxious or shy people.
- A "classic" blush lasts a few seconds and is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. A "creeping" blush, which cause blotches around the neck, typically lasts longer and may be hormonally driven.
- People of all skin tones blush, but it may be harder to notice in those with darker skin.
- Women reportedly blush more than men, but the one study that measured gender differences did not find strong evidence of this.
- Blushing is unique to humans, although animals with naked skin have flush reactions so they seem to blush.
Is there a blush-inducing moment that sticks out in your mind? Do tell.
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Leave a Comment:
I still hate it, and would rather not be blushing!! It sucks! I literally turn beet red/lobster red, and feeling everyone staring makes it last longer/worse.
I would rather not blush and be doubted a little bit, than blush so hard you could use me as a beacon for passing ships!
So thanks, but no thanks, condescending article!
"condescending article"
How was is condescending? Anyways, I know what you mean, I blush for no reason sometimes but it always seems to be at the worst moments.
Just hope our tax dollars didn't fund this study...
Well, keep in mind the study was done at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands ;)
But it's interesting to me that you don't believe federal funding should go toward the study of psychology. Why do you feel that way?
Hah, somebody didn't read the article very closely. I just hope our tax dollars didn't go toward funding Mark's education, or lack thereof.
Mark-3056387 is probably blushing now :-D
Hey Mark! Check it out, this is you: "Herp derp! Tax dollars! Word salad! Don't use my money for useless intellectual things like furthering our understanding of ourselves and human nature! Never mind that this study was done in Scandinavia- I didn't actually read the article, I just wanted an excuse to make a boilerplate one-line comment about tax dollars going to research because I'm anti-enlightenment and totally void of intellectual curiosity. Obtaining a greater understanding of myself and other people is of no interest to me, therefore it must be purposeless."
Yes, like a caveman confronted by a novel tool with no knowledge of how to use it, or concept of the greater context in which to synthesize and apply it, I can see how this information would confound and infuriate you.
I guess the only thing to do is jump up and down on it, fling some of your own excrement and shriek about your tax dollars.
Bravo, sir.
Lol, Nic - that's quite an eloquent rant there! I LIKE it!
Dutch are not Scandinavian. Hopefully tax dollars did not fund this education either :-p.
Cat-
I totally agree with you. I "blush" (if you can actually call turning beet red blushing) like you do. I wish I could make it go away or at least control it. I am a naturally inverted person so any time too much attention is paid to me I turn red, then of course someone has to comment and that make me even redder, even longer. You would think evolution would have fixed this in humans by now!
I hate blushing too, however, I apparently blush only at the cheeks and no where else around my face. I came in on a semi hot day to work and the receptionist asked me if I was wearing this particular Bobbi Brown blush in some color she mentioned. I said I don't even wear blush, she was amazed. But warm day or not, I blush left to right, sigh.
Or you can fall back on the old dependable 'hormones' excuse.
It's even been used (with varying degrees of success) by women who murdered their husbands.
Smiling helps too. I have been told that I can get away with saying things to people that nobody else could get away with. I think that smiling is my secret, it's difficult to be angry with somebody if they are able to hit you with a genuine smile. Of course, if the smile is perceived as disingenuous then it can backfire.
These articles are so ridicules and are a major insult to science. For one you can do all kinds of studies to prove whatever you want by fixing the results. The media is terrible with science and its no wonder why American's are so stupid.
As a stupid American, I'd just like to point out that I think you mean ridiculous. Not to mention, you have an erroneous apostrophe there. Americans is plural in your context, not possessive.
...and a missing apostrophe in its. (it's)
This wasn't an American study, you know that, right? //shakes head
Although I do admit a lot of Americans aren't very smart, don't be a hypocrite...too hilarious.
Sadly, all someone has to do is say the word blush and I will. I was blushing the entire time I read the article and I'm blushing again now just typing this.
It's good to know there's some advantage to this, but given my druthers I'd still go without!
Weren't you just blushing because you realized you blush a lot while reading the article?
That could have contributed, but really just the word will do.
It's kind of sad, because I blush whenever I'm around somebody I'm attracted to. It was especially embarrasing a year ago when I had a very attractive Spanish teacher, any time he'd call on me, I'd go red! My ex-boyfirend used to point it out a lot too, because he knew it would make me blush more. The worst part is when blushing easily gets taken advantage of ;3
Ahh yes, yet another academic "study" to confirm what is and has been, for the most part, common knollage for centuries. Gotta love modern academia.
Yes, because things that have been "common knollage" for centuries have never been proven for the bupkis they are upon further study? It was once common "knollage" that the world was flat and that the sun revolved around us. So glad no one ever wasted time studying those things... oh... wait...
By-the-way, what exactly is "knollage"? A village on a knoll? Oh... I get it. That was an attempt at humor... :-P
Aah yes, yet another academic "study" to confirm what is and has been, for the most part, common knowledge for centuries. Gotta love modern academia.
Were was min-3091823 after my last post? Just asking.
Everytime someone shouts "You're blushing!" even if I'm not, I'll start to or I'll get more red.
I don't think I'm capable of blushing :/ but that doesn't mean I still don't feel those embarrassing feelings. I know someone who turns completely red when he blushes and it's hilarius. So I guess it's not all that bad. People may trust me a little less, but that's what doing the right thing is all about.
What's wrong with blushing? Do people really think it's bad to blush just like crying? Human emotions are something that we should embrace because they are our souls and makes us unique.
I don't have the ability to "Blush", so what does that mean?
It means you are an untrustworthy monster who will try to eat all of our children! Run! Run! (Didn't you READ the article??)
But how would this work for people of color who are may not turn a different color when they blush?
This is so redicilous to say white people are trustworthy when the blush. Hey the Rapist, murders who raped the african men and women let's not forget about the indigenous people.... wow! Whom they forced over to this country. They blushed the whole time they were raping, murdering, stealing, and at the same time telling you god is your friend and he loves you. while they were causing genocide on everything they touched, like a disease, now can you trust that??? Hahahahahaha go do yourself with that hegemony. I'm blushing.....
Why do people read this stuff if they don't want anyone paid to research it?
I often blush when I have to speak in front of a group of people. I'm not overly anxious, but blushing is inevitable. I've always wondered why people usually tell me "good job" or "nice work" after presentations when I've felt like I've fumbled through at times. Maybe it's the blush!