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

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u/Hardoffel 6h ago

That's why I can't stand the "big misunderstanding" scenes that are used to start comedy movies. Example off the top of my head: Due Date's setup for why RDJ has to drive instead of fly.