Erythrophobia: fear of blushing in public

What is erythrophobia?

The Erythrophobia is a specific phobia that is found within the group of social phobias. Erythrophobia is the fear of blushing . When the person with this phobia turns red in public he reacts negatively, feeling ashamed of himself. This leads to increased anxiety, which can lead to increased blushing.

Causes of Erythrophobia

Being in a social environment where you may eventually be the centre of attention can trigger facial flushing, even if the attention you receive is not negative. In front of the attentive gaze of others, the person concerned may fear criticism, contempt or humiliation of the group.

Generally, facial blushing begins in childhood or adolescence, where it is not uncommon for the subject to be teased for his or her blushing. This generates shame in the affected person and turns the blush into a reaction lived as a negative, being ridiculed by others.

Consequences of Erythrophobia

The fear of blushing generates anxiety. A vicious circle is produced by which the very fear of blushing can trigger it. Faced with this intense fear that a social situation may trigger blushing, people tend to avoid such social encounters. Since the fear of blushing emphasizes the anxiety of blushing, predictable situations can become more and more numerous, and this fear can remain and consolidate throughout adulthood.

Social phobia

Social phobia could be defined as the pathological shyness to be in situations where one shares space and interaction with more people. The subject with social phobia feels severe and persistent fear and anxiety when faced with different social situations, such as interacting with other people or simply being observed. This condition can significantly hinder the development of the affected person’s daily life.

Although people who suffer from some kind of social phobia are aware that their feelings are not rational, they experience a strong distrust of facing the situation that causes them to be afraid. In this way, they resort to certain defence mechanisms, such as trying to avoid the situation at all costs, which means that more and more situations are avoided, and they enter a spiral of isolation that compromises the social dimension of the person and their personal development at this level.

It is also very common for the person suffering from social phobia to constantly worry and experience anticipatory anxiety at the possibility of others judging them and thinking they are weak, strange, unintelligent or hysterical individuals.

Blushing: is it bad?

Blushing , in itself, is not a pathology, nor is it usually a symptom of any disorder. Blushing is a fully normal bodily reaction and no guideline or treatment is necessary to avoid it. The scenario in which turning red may be an element that accentuates a background psychological disorder and this affects the normal daily development of the person, may be sufficient reason to take some measures, since we are facing a case of erythrophobia.

Incidence

Approximately 70% of people suffering from social phobia suffer from Erythrophobia . Research led by the University of Braunschweig in Germany compared the frequency of intense blushing in people from eight countries. From most to least likely to blush intensely, the study reported: Japanese, Koreans, Spaniards, Germans, Austrians, Canadians, Dutch, and finally, as the least likely to blush, Americans.

Conclusions

The cause of the fear of blushing should not be avoided but faced . It is possible that if you suffer from erythrophobia, you can overcome this fear thanks to some specialised books and the help and trust of your friends and relatives. In other cases, intense and persistent fear will require therapeutic support from a clinical psychology professional. Only in very extreme cases will this condition require a systematic, multi-level control, in which pharmacological treatment may be necessary.