Why blushing and turning red is actually a virtue and will make people trust you more

If tripping in public or offering your seat to an overweight woman in the belief she’s pregnant leaves you red-faced, don’t worry – it means you’re trustworthy.

That’s the conclusion of a study into those who are easily embarrassed.

Researchers did two experiments. In the first, 60 students were filmed recounting embarrassing moments.

The level of embarrassment they showed – such as by blushing – was then graded. They were also given ten raffle tickets and asked to keep a share and give the rest to a partner.

Those who showed greater levels of embarrassment tended to give away more of their tickets.

In the second test, participants watched an actor being told he received a perfect score on a test and responding with embarrassment or pride.

The volunteers then played games with the actor measuring their trust in him. These showed they found him more trustworthy when he had been embarrassed.

Lead author Matthew Feinberg, from the University of California, Berkeley, said: ‘Moderate levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue. You want to affiliate with embarrassed people more. You feel comfortable trusting them.’
Experts say the most typical gesture of embarrassment is a downward gaze to one side while partially covering the face. A person who feels shame will typically cover the whole face

Experts say embarrassed people tend to look downwards to one side while partially covering the face. A person who feels shame will cover the whole face

UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a co-author of the study, said: 'Embarrassment is one emotional signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources. It's part of the social glue that fosters trust and cooperation in everyday life.'

The paper's third author is UC Berkeley psychologist Dacher Keltner, an expert on pro-social emotions.

Researchers point out that the moderate type of embarrassment they examined should not be confused with debilitating social anxiety or with 'shame,' which is associated in the psychology literature with such moral transgressions as being caught cheating.

While the most typical gesture of embarrassment is a downward gaze to one side while partially covering the face and either smirking or grimacing, a person who feels shame, as distinguished from embarrassment, will typically cover the whole face, Feinberg said.

'Time and again, the results showed that embarrassment signals people's tendency to be pro-social,' he added. 'You want to affiliate with them more,' he said, 'you feel comfortable trusting them.'