Buzz
Everyone experiences embarrassment from time to time, but not all reactions are the same. Some people have a deeply ingrained fear of embarrassment and try to avoid it as much as possible. However, it's impossible to go through life without a moment of embarrassment unless you isolate yourself from others completely. So, if you're someone who easily feels self-conscious or embarrassed, it's important to learn how to manage it effectively. A recent study highlighted by Big Think reveals a simple technique that can help reduce embarrassment: just step outside of yourself.
The study, conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and UCLA and published in Motivation and Emotion, approached the issue from a business perspective. For individuals highly concerned about public embarrassment, this fear can even influence their purchasing decisions. They might hesitate to ask questions or buy something because they don't want to draw attention, or they may buy more than they need to avoid future embarrassment (for example, if it's Beano).
The study focused on people with high levels of what psychologists call 'public self-consciousness.' These individuals are hyper-aware of how others perceive them, which makes them overly concerned with their image. To avoid embarrassment, they go to great lengths. According to the study’s authors, these individuals often feel as though they’re under a social ‘spotlight’ and focus too much on how others might view them in the moment.
In three separate experiments, the researchers exposed UCLA students to embarrassing situations. First, they had participants read a Beano ad about a yoga student who accidentally lets out a fart ('guaranteed to linger forever,' as the ad humorously put it) and then answer questions about how much they identified with the farter and how they felt. The results showed that those with high public self-consciousness were more likely to imagine themselves in the farter's shoes while reading the ad, rather than as an onlooker, and they reported feeling more embarrassed than other participants.
In a follow-up test, the researchers presented students with an ad for a study where volunteers would answer personal questions about sensitive topics like genital herpes. Afterward, students answered questions about how likely they would be to volunteer, how they anticipated feeling during the interview, and how they thought the study administrators would react. The findings showed that self-conscious individuals were more likely to agree to volunteer when they were first asked to consider how the study administrators might react, forcing them to consider the situation from an outsider’s perspective.
In the third test, students were once again asked to consider embarrassing situations involving farts. Two ads for gas-prevention products featured the same image of four people sitting on a couch, one man sitting alone at one end and three women on the other. The first ad read, 'Rip. Accidentally passing gas in front of a crush is one of the most embarrassing experiences. Guaranteed to linger forever.' The second ad added a twist: 'Others will know what it's like. Put yourself in their shoes... would you giggle? Would you be horrified? Would you stare?'
Participants who read the first ad were more likely to express interest in buying the gas-preventing product to avoid the embarrassment of a public fart. However, those who read the second ad showed less interest in purchasing the product.
In any social scenario, it's often helpful to remind yourself that you're not the center of everyone's attention. This is especially true for those prone to self-consciousness. While it’s easy to imagine yourself as the main character in the movie of your life, it might be more beneficial to view yourself from the perspective of the audience—one that’s cheering for you, farts and all.
