Why our face turn red when we're embarrassed?

Answer 1

Ah, plasmaisnoturs, you're an inquiring mind. Good for you! We blush because when we feel nervous or embarrassed, our brains send messages to all our body parts and a chemical reaction, our blood rushes to our faces.

Here are some links that go into more detail:

http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b10...
http://www.healthypages.net/news.asp?new...
http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/articles/art...

Roses are red, faces are too,
We'll figure this out, all thanks to you!

Only humans can blush, by the way!

Answer 2

Embarrassment is a moment of STRESS-FEAR which activates the sympathetic autonomic nervous system aka FIGHT OR FLIGHT (adrenalin, epinephrine, norepinephrin hormones and neurotransmitters). Blood vessels of the skin (the dermis, below the epidermis) in the face thus become dilated and more blood moves in the dilated blood vessels and capillaries of the face....even if it is just for a second-millisecond. Blushing is seen most easily in lighter skinned people. The same autonomic response happens in people of color, but it is not as easily visible since their epidermis has so much melanin in it, blocking our ability to see the vasodilation in the dermis.

Answer 3

Blood rushes to our face when we are embarrassed, it happens to me all the time, I am fair complexted. The vessicles that we have fill with blood since our heart is pumping faster due to adrenaline or other hormones. Just try to keep calm and not let the situation affect you so much. It's hard I know but...see if it works.

Answer 4

umm it turns red when you laugh or anything like that some people faces dont turn red another word for it would be blushing but i guess because red is the colour of your blood and your heart beats fast and it shows more than usual

Answer 5

Because all the blood rushes to your head. This has a 2 pronged purpose.

1. When someone's head starts to glow red it draws the attention away from the stupid thing they just did

2. All that extra blood in your brain helps you think of quick come-backs when people start to make fun of you.

Answer 6

It is because of the hormone adrenaline that is over the kidneys. it makes you ready fro fight or flight. Anf it makes you blood vessels over your face widen and more blood passes. It does so to release the heat in your body. When you are ready for a fight you feel heated too! This is because of that hormone

Answer 7

There is evidence that the blushing region is anatomically different in structure. The facial skin, for example, has more capillary loops per square millimeter and generally more vessels per unit volume than other skin areas. In addition, blood vessels of the cheek are wider in diameter, are nearer the surface, and visibility is less diminished by tissue fluid. These specific characteristics of the architecture of the facial vessels led Wilkin in an overview of possible causes of facial flushing to the following conclusion: "[...] increased capacity and greater visibility can account for the limited distribution of flushing" (Wilkin. 1988).

Evidence for special vasodilation mechanisms was reported by Mellander and his colleagues (Mellander, Andersson, Afzelius, & Hellstrand. 1982). They studied buccal segments of the human facial veins in vitro. Unlike veins from other areas of the skin, facial veins responded with an active myogenic contraction to passive stretch and were therefore able to develop an intrinsic basal tone. Additionally Mellander et al. showed that the veins in this specific area were also supplied with beta-adrenoceptors in addition to the common alpha-adrenoceptors. These beta-adrenoceptors could exert a dilator mechanism on the above-described basal tone of the facial cutaneous venous plexus. Mellander and his colleagues propose that this mechanism is involved in emotional blushing. Drummond has partially confirmed this effect by pharmacological blocking experiments (Drummond. 1997). In a number of trials, he blocked both alpha-adrenergic receptors (with phentolamine) and beta-adrenergic receptors (with propranolol introduced transcutaneously by iontophoresis). Blushing was measured at the forehead using a dual channel laser Doppler flowmeter. Subjects were undergraduate students divided into frequent and infrequent blushers according to self-report. Their mean age was 22.9 years, which is especially favorable for assessing blushing, since young subjects are more likely to blush and blush more intensively. The subjects underwent several procedures, one of which was designed to produce blushing. Alpha-adrenergic blockade with phentolamine had no influence on the amount of blushing in frequent or in infrequent blushers, indicating that release of sympathetic vasoconstrictor tone does not substantially influence blushing. This result was expected since vasoconstrictor tone in the facial area is known to be generally low (van der Meer. 1985). Beta-adrenergic blockade with propranolol on the other hand decreased blushing in both frequent and infrequent blushers. However, despite complete blockade, blood flow still increased substantially during the embarrassment and blushing inducing procedure. Additional vasodilator mechanisms must therefore be involved. So far, no specific mechanism has been suggested.

Answer 8

The heart pumps more blood around the body to give you more energy to fight or flee, which is a common reaction of body when one is afraid, embarassed, frightened, scared, etc.

Answer 9

Blood circulation increase and there are many fine blood vanes under face tissues

Answer 10

the blood vessels on your dermis dilate using fact your heart is thrashing quicker, and you're sweating so your dermis gets chilly, so blood rushes to your dermis, and once you upload collectively dilated vessels and larger blood you get blush.