It doesnât work for me. The things I get embarrassed about are never what other people would expect. Accusers usually rely upon poorly-defined norms, which comes off as rather passive-aggressive. So, no perqs for me.
David Robson wrote an article on BBC.com about new research that suggests that âfeelings of excruciating embarrassment may be crucial for your wellbeing in the long term.â
Matthew Feinberg did research at the University of California, Berkeley, and found that people who were more easily flustered were more likely to be altruistic and to play honestly in a game that involved cash rewards.
That sounds contradictory.
The whole thing doesnât quite make sense to me, because if there were such a clear advantage to being flushed, then there would be a strong evolutionary pressure to make us more flushed.
Presumably, there would be other reasons not to show being flushed, such as being able to lie more easily.
Iâd also (if I could read the studies) be interested in knowing whether people whose skin color shows blushes less visibly, if at all, have these apparent advantages, and how that effects the evolutionary communication hypothesis.
I hate it when an accusation is made and i blush even though iâm innocent. Clearly everyone else then suspects me. Where is the advantage in that?
Also when a conversation turns awkward because youâve started blushing and you can see the other person feeling uncomfortable. No advantage.
To be honest you just have to deal with the fact that your emotions are painted on your face for all to see. Itâll never go away so you have to adapt.
Itâs the first paragraph of the linked BBC article, and an evolutionary hypotheses is given a little lower down (deferring to an aggressor, even if youâre not the guilty party). But, like all evolutionary-psychology explanations, itâs hard to prove the exact reason.
What bothers me is why people put so much emphasis upon emotions. Itâs not as if they usually have any place in complex social interactions anyway. Once one has language, itâs a far more efficient way to communicate.
Had to dig a bit to find this article:
Drury had told no one about the operation, but people at work immediately noticed a difference in her. I spoke to a producer at her station who said, âShe just told me she was going on a trip with her dad, but when she came back and I saw her on TV again, I said, âChristine! That was unbelievable!â She looked amazingly comfortable in front of the camera. You could see the confidence coming through the TV, which was completely different from before.â Within months, Drury got a job as a prime-time on-air reporter at another station.
A few snips of fibres to her face and she was changed.
Visible blushing is for the light-skinned; darker skin still âblushesâ, but invisibly, so there is usually a different tell to visibly mark the discomfort: an awkward smile. This can cause cultural confusion for people who think of smiles only as indications of happiness.
Yep i know i read the article 
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