Again (if you saw my crying question) this is more to do with the evolutionary significance of being embarrassed rather than situations that make you embarrassed - although the biology of it would be interesting as well!
2006-10-05 04:59:30 · 10 answers · asked by Holly 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
That's a very interesting question. I have no idea, but I'm going to theorize a little.
Because humans are such a social species, and so much of our reproductive success depends on social success, we have a very hard time differentiating between physical danger and social danger. In other words, when you are panicking or nervous about a social situation you are experiencing the exact same kinds of 'fight or flight' responses that you would feel if you were about to be in physical danger (but probably on a lesser scale most of the time).
I would then guess that embarassment isn't so much an evolutionary adaptation, but rather a sort of bizarre side effect to the fact that we have adapted to become so dependent on social interaction. The sympathetic nervous system was already in place due to clear evolutionary benefits of the 'fight or flight' response; then when we became more and more social, more and more intelligent, and increasingly self-aware, we began experiencing embarrasment as a sort of hijacking of the 'fight or flight' response toward social situations that aren't actually physically dangerous but have a serious effect on our reproductive success none-the-less.
Just a guess, but that'd be my theory!
2006-10-05 05:10:05 · answer #1 · answered by Geoffrey B 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋
If people never became embarrassed through their actions, they would never learn from their mistakes.
For example, if you didn't get embarrassed from going to the supermarket and shouting out something obscene, you wouldn't ever learn that this is unacceptable behaviour. You would keep on doing it and perhaps end up in a mental institute.
Also if you have a secret, embarrassment can keep you from giving it away. It is kind of a security mechanism and it's something you should be glad that you have.
Some people who suffer from high-level autism cannot feel embarrassment and this puts them at a severe disadvantage to the rest of us. Have you ever watched Star Trek? Remember Mr Spock and in the later generations Data? Those two characters are devoid of any emotions including embarrassment.
2006-10-05 05:36:51 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Embarrassment is an uncomfortable feeling, one which people generally try to avoid. If you become embarrassed about something, you'll learn not to put yourself in a similar situation again.
Embarrassment is a way to remind you to be cautious.
Some people become embarrassed easily when they get unwanted attention from groups or from the opposite sex. One can learn to overcome this shyness.
2006-10-05 05:22:57 · answer #3 · answered by borscht 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
maybe it has to do with the vagus nerve, which is effected by emotion, and maybe your blood pressure rises as a result of being embarrassed, which could explain the blushing. embarrassment is better than anger, so maybe embarrassment is a safety valve?...
crying is good for you if you are upset as it gets rid of tension and i heard some time ago there are chemicals in emotive tears that are bad for the body to hang onto.
so if you need to cry, be brave and let yourself cry, and if you need to blush with embarrassment, remember you're human.
2006-10-05 10:24:00 · answer #4 · answered by swot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is an evolutionary mechanism to stop us all running round like lunatics, showing our private parts to everyone and it brings a bit of order to a world that would otherwise be chaotic and shameless.
2006-10-05 05:06:22 · answer #5 · answered by abluebobcat 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It was used by early primates as a display before language or if your religious it was the cue for adam and eve to strategically place fig leaves about their person x
2006-10-06 00:43:57 · answer #6 · answered by tee_hee_ssh 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not sure what the exact point is - i do not think it is a set point, such as boiling point or melting point, however in any case Pain ALWAYS takes a backseat to embarassment.. especially when walking into sliding glass doors LOL
2006-10-05 05:12:20 · answer #7 · answered by Vita 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There is no point to it really. It just boils down to being too self-conscious and worrying what others are thinking or saying about you after you have done something.
2006-10-05 05:09:12 · answer #8 · answered by Presea 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is to remind you to think before making a prat of yourself the next time.
2006-10-05 05:09:10 · answer #9 · answered by MCP 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
when you're blushing, red faced or feeling sweaty whereas others aren't. means you are feeling embarrassed
2006-10-05 05:02:30 · answer #10 · answered by karan s 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋