Even if you believe that your pet emotes with embarrassment, it does not blush. Humans do. Uncontrollably.

Why We Blush

Blushing is the physiological result of an emotional response to external stimuli. Simply put, something happens which triggers a physical response — reddening of the face or neck that can be clearly seen. It is typically interpreted as an emotional response reflecting embarrassment, modesty, shyness or shame.

When we blush, blood vessels expand close to the skin’s surface, creating redness and heat. Blushing is governed by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the same mechanism responsible for the “fight-or-flight-or-freeze” response to stressful situations. It’s a peculiarly human phenomenon. Animals don’t blush, but they exhibit the same involuntary fight-or-flight responses.

The SNS is an automatic regulation system to safeguard the body. In response to stress, nerve cell firings and chemical releases (such as adrenaline) prepare us for action. Should we fight, or take flight? Our eyes dilate, we start to sweat. Our hearts beat faster. We are ready for action!

All these reactions, such as sweating, pounding heart pounding, or dilated eyes, are also fight-or-flight physiological responses which are hard, if not impossible, to disguise. Blushing is a dead giveaway: a visible distress signal which makes the person doing the blushing feel completely exposed and vulnerable.

Blushing to Excess

Severe blushing in otherwise innocuous social settings is the nervous system run amok — an over-active fight-or-flight response associated with social phobia or social anxiety. The effects of obsessive blushing reinforce the psychological fears or stress which generates blushing in the first place. The fear of continued blushing causes the excessive blusher to blush even more. It’s a chain reaction: the fear becomes the external stimulus which sets off the sympathetic nervous system.

But there’s hope for those who are self-conscious about their blushing. Blushing as a manifestation of social anxiety can be resolved. Blushing and fear of blushing can be stopped by learning to identify the catalysts which initiate the automated fight-or-flight response and control the resultant anxiety.  Learn how by listening to this free audio seminar on how to stop blushing, obsessing and performance anxiety .