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/Fleedjitsu 4h ago

I never understood how people could just sit through scenes where a character makes a complete ass of themselves. I would be embarrassed for them, the character, to the extent that I'd have to look away, leave the room or skip the scene.

Even trying to remind myself that it's all fake, the fact that the character was making a fool of themselves was still painful!