Born to Blush - why embarrassment is good for all of us

When I started to study embarrassment in the early 1990s, most researchers thought signs of mortification exposed confusion and thwarted intention. But I wasn't so sure. I was struck by how the smiles of people such as Gandhi and the Dalai Lama showed elements of embarrassment—gaze aversion, lip presses, and smile controls. They were not confused; they hadn't been thwarted. Why the embarrassment?

At the same time, embarrassment is often absent ... Full Story »