Why some TV programmes are painful to watch
April 14th, 2011 - 2:10 pm ICT by ANILondon, April 14 (ANI): British and German scientists have found out why some TV programmes are almost too painful to watch.
They showed that the part of the brain that we use to process pain also lights up when we cringe at other people’s actions, reports the Daily Mail.
The intriguing finding comes from scientists who began by asking a group of students how they would feel in a series of embarrassing situations - and whether they thought the person involved would be unsettled by the experience.
The hypothetical scenarios ranged from making a mess of a speech to walking around with an open zip and wearing a t-shirt with a sexual slogan.
The volunteers said they would feel the most “vicarious embarrassment” when the person realised they were making a fool of themselves. But they would still feel embarrassed for people who were completely unaware of the impression they were making.
The researchers showed a group of men and women sketches of situations, while scanning their brains.
Watching other people’s embarrassing mishaps triggered the brain regions more usually associated with processing physical pain.
These areas - the anterior cingulate cortex and the left anterior insula - even lit up when watching someone who was unaware they had made a faux pas.
The researchers said it appears we are feeling their “social pain” for them - or empathising with their misfortune.
The study has been published in the journal PLoS ONE. (ANI)
- Why observing others' flaws hurt us? - Apr 14, 2011
- Scientists isolate brain part linked with embarrassment - Apr 17, 2011
- Karaoke experiment reveals neurological basis for embarrassment - Apr 16, 2011
- How meditation reduces pain - Apr 06, 2011
- Brain tells you whether to stay or go while foraging - Jun 07, 2011
- Pain of social exclusion can be deep, long-lasting - May 11, 2011
- Mindfulness meditation makes people act more rationally - Apr 21, 2011
- How our brains evoke empathy when we see others in pain - Jun 13, 2009
- Losing a night's sleep 'can turn you into a reckless gambler' - Mar 08, 2011
- Political leanings are hardwired in our brains - Apr 08, 2011
- Social snub "hurts", literally - Aug 18, 2009
- Rejection in love activates reward and addiction centres in the brain - Jul 07, 2010
- Brains of maltreated kids, combatants aware of dangers - Dec 06, 2011
- Social stress can really 'get under the skin' - Aug 10, 2010
- Video games, virtual reality experiences could relieve pain in kids, adults - May 09, 2010
Tags: anterior cingulate cortex, april 14, brain regions, brains, daily mail, embarrassing situations, embarrassment, german scientists, hypothetical scenarios, insula, men and women, misfortune, mishaps, open zip, plos one, sketches, slogan, t shirt, tv programmes, volunteers