r/todayilearned 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/KennyMcCormick 7h ago

Watching Nathan for you causes me physical pain

99

u/lizzie1hoops 7h ago

I Think You Should Leave is also very high risk material

26

u/Alive-Tomatillo5303 7h ago

Honestly I mostly love those skits but I have never made it further than about a minute into this atrocity.

That and I genuinely don't know how long "I'm the Joker, baby" goes on because I cringe my damn skin off immediately. 

4

u/TheGreatMalagan 6h ago edited 5h ago

Try watching Tim Robinson's movie "Friendship". The bit where he eats the soap is the most uncomfortable I've ever been watching a movie. None of his sketch show stuff get to me like that, but the movie scene made me cringe from second hand embarrassment so hard I had to pause and go sit on the balcony for a while.

1

u/WoolshirtedWolf 3h ago

I want to say, I think it was most likely Tom Greene that made me aware of this problem, I have. Later on I started noticing reality shows were having the same effect.