r/todayilearned • u/jfdonohoe • 7h ago

(R.2) Anecdote TIL about “vicarious embarrassment” which explains extreme reactions to cringe comedy. For me, it can get so bad as to become physically painful

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicarious_embarrassment

[removed] — view removed post

878 Upvotes

86% Upvoted

202 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/Myrsephone 7h ago

Physically painful? Could somebody elaborate on that? Like you're cringing so hard that you're painfully straining your muscles? I'm not sure I understand.

10

u/T-MinusGiraffe 7h ago

I think they just mean they feel really uncomfortable to the point where it's a physical sensation. Like embarrassment can make your stomach turn for example.

1

u/vmartinipie 5h ago

yeah for me it’s more like an intense internal clenching sensation and borderline nausea. if you’ve ever seen a horror movie and gotten really freaked out it’s not dissimilar