People Who Are Easily Embarrassed Tend To Be More Trustworthy, Loyal, Honest, And Generous

Have you ever tripped in front of a group of people you were trying to impress or made a joke that no one else understood? Afterwards, you probably felt some embarrassment. Generally, we associate embarrassment with the negative, such as being laughed at, but it is theorized that embarrassment may actually be beneficial.

A study conducted by social psychologist at Berkeley, Robb Willer, suggests that being easily embarrassed may be perceived as a sign of trustworthiness, loyalty, honesty, and generosity (Anwar, 2011). Matthew Feinburg, a PhD candidate at Berkeley, suggests that moderate levels of embarrassment indicate virtue. A series of studies were conducted to gauge how much embarrassment plays into social interactions (Chan, 2011). Participants were asked to recount experiences that left them feeling embarrassed; researchers then coded and analyzed their responses. What they found was that higher levels of embarrassment led to higher levels of social morality. Furthermore, the results from these studies seemed to show that embarrassment tends to signals people’s tendency to be social with others because it promotes a feeling of comfort—people are more willing to respond favorably towards someone else when they react with embarrassment, or modesty (Chan, 2011).

As such it would seem that embarrassment serves as physiological evidence of being honest and truthful, as the blushing and stuttering that can accompany embarrassment is something that is very visible, which makes sense. If you can see how someone is reacting with your own eyes, then you are more likely to trust them, because you do not have to guess what their reaction is or what they are thinking; you can literally see it on their face. However, Catharine Haddock (2011) warns against jumping to the conclusion that more confident people, or those who are less easily embarrassed, are less trustworthy.

Do you think that people who are more easily embarrassed genuinely have a higher level of social morality and accountability. Or is it, perhaps, that they are afraid of the embarrassment that would ensue if they were to be caught doing something that casts them in a negative light?

-Cassey

References

Anwar, Y. (2011, September 28). Easily embarrassed? Study finds people will trust you more.Berkeley News. Retrieved from http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2011/09/28/easily-embarrassed/

Chan, A. (2011, November 29). Being easily embarrassed could make you more trustworthy.Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/embarrass-trustworthy_n_987381.html

Paddock, C. (2011, September 29). People who are easily embarassed are more trustworthy. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/235233.php

Edited: Tatum Wilson and Zoe