Why do we flush when we feel ashamed?

Do you know those moments when you find yourself in an awkward situation and, to make matters worse, you get all flushed, showing all your shame? Everyone has been through this, and according to the folks at Asap Science, it's an involuntary - and uncontrollable - reflex triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the fight or flight responses in stressful situations.

When we find ourselves in situations like these, there is an adrenaline release that speeds up the heart and breathing rate, as well as dilating the pupils and redirecting energy to our muscles. It turns out that the shame we feel in awkward moments is stress - emotional, but that's why we feel the same reactions we just described.

Human expression

Adrenaline discharge also causes blood vessels to dilate to improve blood flow and oxygen, which in turn causes our cheeks - and sometimes even the entire face - to flush. But then you must be wondering why our whole body does not turn red in these situations.

Interestingly, although our veins usually do not respond to adrenaline, those in the face react, and this response is unique to humans. Another interesting fact is that scientists are unsure why we are flushed, and according to Asap Science, even Darwin was intrigued to say that this was the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.

Theories

One of the theories as to why we are red with shame is that we would have developed this trait as a way of showing remorse or regret within a social context. Therefore, blushing would be a kind of physical - rather than verbal - apology, and it is best in this case that we know that it is sincere, since this response, when uncontrollable, cannot be feigned.

This theory - based entirely on social aspects - is related to another assumption: that humans would have developed the sense of sight so that they could perceive slight changes in skin color and thus accurately deduce different emotions. In this sense, studies have shown that individuals who blush after a social gaffe are more easily forgiven by others.

So if during an embarrassing situation you get all over red with embarrassment instead of getting angry or wanting a hole to open and swallow you, remember what you just found out: blushing is a sincere sign that It can save your skin and even positively influence the opinion that people around you have of you.

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The above story is based on information from an animation produced by Asap Science staff. You can watch the following video: