The moment you say something embarrassing, you feel it coming — the heat rising in your cheeks, neck and even ears. You’re blushing, and you probably feel awkward. And if you notice someone else noticing you blushing, that could make you get even hotter.
This miserable feedback cycle is also somewhat of a physiological mystery. Somehow, embarrassment or shame sends a message through our nervous and circulatory systems that the blood vessels in our faces should dilate and make us look red. What all the elements are in our bodies that trigger this result aren’t exactly clear, and it’s not always clear exactly why it happens.
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