question: Why do you feel hot and what causes you to feel hot from embarrassment?
comment: Long story short, we have special kinds of nerve cells called thermoreceptors, that send signals to our brain when temperature changes. That's what makes us 'feel' hot. When embarrassed, adrenaline is released which increases your heart rate and metabolism - heat is released as a byproduct of a lot of chemical reactions that go on in our body, and when metabolism is increased, these reactions go faster so release more heat in the same space of time. When heat is released faster than we can get rid of it, we feel warmer.
passages: A further limitation is the possibility that what could be classed as embarrassing could also be an intentionally created account designed to provoke a reaction. For instance, Saint Peter's denial of Jesus could have been written as an example of the consequences of denial. : "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."
   Vicarious embarrassment, like other vicarious emotions, presents symptoms that reflect the original emotion. However, unlike shared emotions, the experience of embarrassment for the observer is dependent on how they normally experience embarrassment. Individuals who experience social anxiety in their own life may experience the familiar symptoms of blushing, excess sweating, trembling, palpitations, and nausea. Other, less severe symptoms may include cringing, looking away, or general discomfort.
  
  Section::::Psychological basis.
  
  Section::::Psychological basis.:Empathy.
   Section::::Causes.:Professional embarrassment.
   BULLET::::- Has information revealed publicly to another individual or peer group
  
  Section::::Etymology.
   Health-related embarrassment
  
  Medical help may in some instances be accompanied by embarrassment.
  
  Section::::Features.
   The Spanish word may come from the Italian "imbarazzare", from "imbarazzo", "obstacle" or "obstruction". That word came from "imbarrare", "to block" or "bar", which is a combination of "in-", "in" with "barra", "bar" (from the Vulgar Latin "barra", which is of unknown origin). The problem with this theory is that the first known usage of the word in Italian was by Bernardo Davanzati (1529–1606), long after the word had entered Spanish.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Blushing
  
  BULLET::::- Criterion of embarrassment
  
  BULLET::::- Face (social concept)
  
  BULLET::::- Guilt
  
  BULLET::::- Humiliation
  
  BULLET::::- Modesty
  
  BULLET::::- Mortification
  
  BULLET::::- Shame
  
  Section::::References.
  
  Notes
  
  General citations
  
  Section::::External links.
   Embarrassment can be personal, caused by unwanted attention to private matters or personal flaws or mishaps or shyness. Some causes of embarrassment stem from personal actions, such as being caught in a lie or in making a mistake. In many cultures, being seen nude or inappropriately dressed is a particularly stressful form of embarrassment (see modesty). Personal embarrassment can also stem from the actions of others who place the embarrassed person in a socially awkward situation—such as a parent showing one's baby pictures to friends, having someone make a derogatory comment about one's appearance or behavior, discovering one is the victim of gossip, being rejected by another person (see also humiliation), being made the focus of attention (e.g., birthday celebrants, newlyweds), or even witnessing someone else's embarrassment.
   BULLET::::1. Privacy violations – for example where a part of the body is accidentally exposed, or there is an invasion of space, property, or information that may be warranted to privacy,
  
  BULLET::::2. Lack of knowledge and skill – for example forgetfulness, or experiencing failure while performing a relatively easy task
  
  BULLET::::3. Criticism and rejection – is another cause of embarrassment, as well as being made the center of attention positively or negatively
   Section::::Causes.:Vicarious embarrassment.
  
  Vicarious embarrassment is an embarrassed feeling from observing the embarrassing actions of another person. People who rate themselves as more empathic are more likely to experience vicarious embarrassment. The effect is present whether or not the observed party is aware of the embarrassing nature of their actions, although awareness generally increases the strength of the felt vicarious embarrassment, as does an accidental (as opposed to intentional) action.
  
  Section::::Causes.:Types in social psychology.
  
  One typology of embarrassment is described by Sharkey and Stafford. There are six types of embarrassment: 
   Personal embarrassment is usually accompanied by some combination of blushing, sweating, nervousness, stammering, and fidgeting. Sometimes the embarrassed person tries to mask embarrassment with smiles or nervous laughter, especially in etiquette situations. Such a response is more common in certain cultures, which may lead to misunderstanding. There may also be feelings of anger depending on the perceived seriousness of the situation, especially if the individual thinks another person is intentionally causing the embarrassment. There is a range of responses, with the most minor being a perception of the embarrassing act as inconsequential or even humorous, to intense apprehension or fear.
   BULLET::::- Levels of embarrassment have found to be easier to see in females and African-Americans, than compared to male and Caucasian targets (Keltner, 1995). This is due to social learnings from previous generations.
  
  Section::::Poor behaviour.
   Usually some perception of loss of honor or dignity (or other high-value ideals) is involved, but the embarrassment level and the type depends on the situation. Embarrassment is similar to shame in some sense, except that shame may be experienced for an act known only to oneself. Also, embarrassment usually carries the connotation of being caused by an act that is merely socially unacceptable, rather than morally wrong.
  
  Section::::Causes.
   BULLET::::4. Awkward acts – refer to social situations, for example inappropriate conversations, clumsiness or ungraceful actions (such as an emotional outbreak like speaking out unintentionally) that can trigger embarrassment
  
  BULLET::::5. Appropriate image – refers to more of a personal reflection of embarrassment, like body image, clothing apparel, and personal possessions (for example owning an older mobile phone compared to the latest model)
   Embarrassment
  
  Embarrassment or awkwardness is an emotional state that is associated with mild to severe levels of discomfort, and which is usually experienced when someone has a socially unacceptable or frowned-upon act or condition that was witnessed by or revealed to others.
   BULLET::::6. Environment – can also have the effect of provoking embarrassment, as when an individual in a movie theatre with his or her parents, other family, co-workers, or mixed-company peers is made uncomfortable by an unexpected occurrence of nudity in the film that the group is watching.
  
  Another typology, by Cupach and Metts, discusses the dimensions of intended-unintended and appropriate-inappropriate behavior, and four basic types of embarrassing circumstances: 
  
  BULLET::::1. Faux pas (socially awkward acts)
  
  BULLET::::2. Accidents
  
  BULLET::::3. Mistakes
  
  BULLET::::4. Failure to perform a duty or moral obligation.
   Embarrassment has occasionally been viewed in the literature as a less severe or intense form of shame, but it is distinct from shame in that it involves a focus on the self-presented to an audience rather than the entire self, and that it is experienced as a sense of fluster and slight mortification resulting from a social awkwardness that leads to a loss of esteem in the eyes of others. We have characterized embarrassment as a sudden-onset sense of fluster and mortification that results when the self is evaluated negatively because one has committed, or anticipates committing, a gaffe or awkward performance before an audience. So, because shame is focused on the entire self, those who become embarrassed apologize for their mistake, and then begin to repair things and this repair involves redressing harm done to the presented self.
   Psychological projection is a theory in psychology and psychoanalysis in which humans defend themselves against undesirable emotions by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. Projection is a considered a normal, common process in everyday life. Vicarious embarrassment and other vicarious emotions, however, work in the reverse, a process called self projection. The undesirable emotion is experienced in another person, and the observer projects what they interpret as the appropriate response onto themselves. For example, someone who lies easily might feel vicariously embarrassed if they self-project the experience of someone getting caught in a bad lie.
   The assumption of the criterion of embarrassment is that the early church would hardly have gone out of its way to create or falsify historical material that embarrassed its author or weakened its position in arguments with opponents. Rather, embarrassing material coming from Jesus would be either suppressed or softened in later stages of the Gospel tradition. This criterion is rarely used by itself, and is typically one of a number of criteria, such as the criterion of dissimilarity and the criterion of multiple attestation, along with the historical method.
   Based on these types, Cupach and Metts classify two basic embarrassment situations: the actor responsible and the observer responsible. Actor responsible situations are embarrassing when a person executes an act that is either inappropriate to a point of proficiency matching social norms and expectations, inconsistent with role expectations, or is out-of-sync with a social identity. The observer responsible categories are embarrassing when an individual becomes the focus of attention through:
  
  BULLET::::- Recognition, praise, criticism, correction, or teasing
  
  BULLET::::- Becomes initialized through being tripped or bumped, which is then associated with someone acting inappropriately
   Embarrassment can also be professional or official, especially after statements expressing confidence in a stated course of action, or willful disregard for evidence. Embarrassment increases greatly in instances involving official duties or workplace facilities, large amounts of money or materials, or loss of human life. Examples of causes include a government's failed public policy, exposure of corrupt practices or unethical behaviour, a celebrity whose personal habits receive public scrutiny or face legal action, or officials caught in serious personally embarrassing situations. Even small errors or miscalculations can lead to significantly greater official embarrassment if it is discovered that there was willful disregard for evidence or directives involved (e.g., see Space Shuttle Challenger).
   Vicarious embarrassment (German: Fremdscham) is often seen as an opposite to schadenfreude, which is the feeling of pleasure or satisfaction at misfortune, humiliation or embarrassment of another person.
   Chafing (skin)
  
  Chafing refers to the irritation of skin caused by repetitive friction, usually generated through skin to skin contact of multiple body parts. Chafing is usually contracted in the inner thighs and inner glutes; armpits and nipples can also develop chafing although it is less common. Severe chafing is known as friction burn.
  
  Section::::Causes.
   The criterion of embarrassment has its limitations and is almost always used in concert with the other criteria. One limitation to the criterion of embarrassment is that clear-cut cases of such embarrassment are few. A full portrait of Jesus could never be based on so little data. Clearly, context is important, as what might be considered as embarrassing in one era and social context may not have been so in another. Embarrassing details may be included as an alternative to an even more embarrassing account of the same event. As a hypothetical example, Saint Peter's denial of Jesus could have been a substitution for an even greater misdeed of Peter.
   The source of this embarrassment or its range can vary from person to person. For some the embarrassment heightens when confronted by specific characteristics, such as a doctor of the opposite sex, while for others, the scope of their embarrassment may be exhaustive regardless of the social or peer group dynamics. For others, the embarrassment factor may be overarching, especially when at a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation, for example one who needs financial assistance to obtain medical help. In these scenarios the embarrassment may be duplicated due to a possible scenario wherein they are to be examined by both a doctor and perhaps if underage, a parent, or if an adult of low socioeconomic circumstances, perhaps a social worker.
   Section::::Cultural significance.
  
  Embarrassing situations often arise in social situations, as the result of failing to meet a social expectation, and is used to help learn what has been deemed culturally appropriate. While embarrassment isolates the victim based on a cultural bias, vicarious embarrassment is used to promote prosocial behavior between the victim and the observer.
  
  Section::::Cultural significance.:Cringe comedy.
  