Why do we blush when we get embarrassed?

Blushing is a physical reaction to embarrassment, and it involves the face, skin, neck, ears and chest reddening in colour. Blushing is involuntary and uncontrollable. An awareness of blushing actually makes it worse. It is quite ironic that blushing draws attention to us at a time we really don't want the attention. It is a peculiar expression and one can be embarrassed and not blush or blush and not be embarrassed.

A current theory is that blushing links to self-consciousness and how we imagine we are coming across to others. Moreover, we blush if our behaviour, comments or appearance cause undesired social attention. The four main reasons for blushing include;

• violating social norms
• openness to scrutiny from peers
• praise and positive attention
• accusations of blushing

Blushing is a cue to others that we know we have broken social norms or our behaviour/appearance is unacceptable and we acknowledge it and want to correct it. In a way it's a tangible apology.

So long and short is that you may as well just accept you will blush many a time in your lifetimes and as there is nothing you can do to prevent it - you should adopt a great skill - to be able to laugh at yourself and not dwell on the embarrassment.

Information obtained from The Psychologist magazine, volume 23