If youblusheswith ease you don’t have to worry. People who feel embarrassed in certain “compromised” situations are alsomore trustworthy and more generous, according to a new study from the University of California (USA).
“Theshameis an emotional component that is part of the ‘social adhesive’ thatpromotes honesty and cooperationin everyday life “, concludes social psychologist Rob Willer, co-author of the study published in the journalJournal of Personality and Social Psychology. To demonstrate this, the researchers worked with 60 subjects they subjected to embarrassing situations, such as mistaking an obese woman for a pregnant woman, or blurting out in public, to identify the extent to which they felt embarrassed. When, next, the same subjects participated in the “Dictator’s Game”, used in economics to measure levels of altruism,those who had blushed most frequently in previous tests tended to be more generous. Other experiments revealed that if a subject shows some modesty when congratulated on a success, the rest of the people feel more predisposed to trust him.
In addition, the researchers found thatpeople who blush easily are also more prone to monogamy. “Feeling a bit of shame is a good thing, not something we should fight,” concludes Dacher Keltner, co-author of the work, who explains that those who have this feeling, for example when they are wrong, usually cover only part of their face and smile. Of course, shame should not be equated with social anxiety, which can be negative for the person and their environment.
