Is embarrassment instinctive or learned?

Question

What I mean is, even back in the "caveman" days did people feel embarrassment? Or, like boredom, was it something that was created with modern civilization? If it's instinctive, what survival purpose did it serve? If it was created, when and how was it created?

Answer 1

Well, embarrassment is like shame or something. And I'm sure of it. But I THINK before, there is already an embarrassment.

I think it's instinctive since everybody has feelings. Even caveman does feel it.

Answer 2

I am going to have to go with Learned on this question.

This is an interesting question, especially asking "what point did it serve?" Remember Darwins survival theory?  I think that a stronger person (or caveman) found out that they could intimidate a weaker person (or caveman).  This intimidation or embarassment could bring about the winning of food, or mating partners.  In our civilized society we don't do this as much.

Answer 3

Embarrassment is learned. By definition embarrassment almost always is "quantified" by there being "witnesses". One is seldom embarrassed when one is alone.....

It does serve a "survival" purpose in that one must always keep "checking oneself" in order to maintain one's place within whatever group we are attached to...

Answer 4

Embarrassment is an emotion, and one can argue that all of our emotions are instinctive.  As to what will suffice to embarrass us, that is mostly learned.

A caveman might not be embarrassed to walk nude, but would be if he made a glaring error in the presence of others.  How others perceive us affects our hierarchical rank in the social order and therefore our chances of reproduction, so evolution will select for ways of managing the perceptions of others.  Embarrassment causes us to try to think of ways to very quickly rectify what we've done (the sudden blood flow to the head and brain causes the blush), and to show others that we realize our mistakes, and really aren't total dumbasses after all.

Answer 5

Embarrassment is a conflict of emotions felt simultaneously at the same time. A sense of guilt with questionnaire nature to the incident that has taken place. Guilt and shame and questing nature leads to an emotion reaction of embarrassment. this is just type of embarrassments, there are probably millions of different types with different reasons. Just think of the underlining of the problem and work it from there.

Answer 6

Electropath has given you an answer that illustrates  it is incorrect to oppose instinct and learning.

Answer 7

I'm inclined to think it's a little of both ... but it would have to be mostly learned wouldn't it? I mean, the things that we learn are socially unacceptable don't upset us when we might do them first as small children.  Once we realise how people around us are responding, we understand what is 'okay' to be seen doing, and what is not.

Answer 8

It instintive in most people.

Whats culturally learned is how you behave after you experience that, some become violent or enraged, some slink away and hide.

Answer 9

I think embarrassment is learned as when your a little child you don;t think twice of running around nude. we learn hat when were older ' that is not proper.As of the cavemen & women i think they knew very little bordom;as they were always hunting and just trying to survive in the harsh elements,,,,,,good question...

Answer 10

I would say embarrassment is something learned during the course of your life. As a baby and child you would cry out loud in public places, c**p your pants, and beg for some snack while gallons of tears stream down your face. As humans get older, they learn how society works and how everyone else acts. The human brain sorts out what is socially acceptable and what isn't and acts accordly. There is no chemical in your brain released over a certain period of your life giving you an embarrassment instinct.

Cavemen probably felt embarrassment too when they did something socially looked down upon or unacceptable. The earliest humans, cavemen, lived in a society like humans of today.

Human behavior is mostly due to enviorment. Which explains why some things are embarrassing to come while it isn't to others.

Boredom is a feeling to describe wanting to do something or something different because of repetiveness. I'm sure boredom isn't something recently developed in "modern civilization."

Answer 11

It is a learned trait.

Children are not born with it, parents, siblings, then teachers, classmates, all contribute to this emotion.

Nudist have taken great strides in this area to remove the stigma of the naked body.

Answer 12

such a good question.  I'm sorry i don't know the answer - but I'm enjoying the dialog here.  Wasn't there something about no shame and no embarrassment until the original sin in the garden of eden.  I'm not exactly up on that stuff - but interesting non the less!

Answer 13

I would say that the emotional state of embarrassment is instinctive; however, the trigger for the embarrassment is learned.  Humans are pack animals.  As a species, we crave socialization with others of our kind.  Embarrassment acts as a natural deterrent to activities that are contrary to accepted social mores.  However, different societies have different mores, so while the emotion of embarrassment is instinctive the cause of it can differ from group to group.