The surprising benefits of being embarrassed
Inviting empathy: This mutual acknowledgement and entrusting of such a vulnerable state as embarrassment is also the basis of empathy.
Deepens relationships: When someone shows you their embarrassment, they are entrusting you with it, which can feel like a privilege.
Boosted sex appeal: Embarrassment might be part of your sexual charm Red-faced embarrassment could signal to someone looking for a serious partner.
More approachable: At the University of California, Matthew Feinberg conducted an experiment where he showed participants pictures of people.
A sense of trustworthiness: People who feel and express embarrassment are more likely to be trusted and forgiven than those who don’t, says Susan David.
Helps us make good decisions: Oftentimes the threat of embarrassment is enough to deter us from making bad decisions like cheating or stealing.
Humanizing and instructive: This is particularly true in regards to the figures of modern society whom we all too often praise as if they were godlike instead of just celebrities.
Group cooperation: One study published in the National Library of Medicine found that social emotions like shame developed alongside cooperative social groups.
Maintaining social order: Mild embarrassment can thus be a healthy and self-regulating way of maintaining social order.
Judge of character: The researchers concluded that embarrassment helped us distinguish between “good” people.