Self-Reported Expression of Embarrassment in Five European Cultures

Abstract

Self-report data on the physiological/behavioral response associated with embarrassment were collected by questionnaire in Greece, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. Blushing/increased temperature and smiling/grinning were reported consistently across nations, although blushing, as indexed by temperature change, was reported with twice the frequency in the U.K. sample as in the other European samples; gaze aversion and face touching were also reported with greater frequency in U.K. sample. Southern European respondents were less likely to report gaze aversion and very unlikely to report laughing when embarrassed. The general "understatement" of embarrassment in the U.K. sample and "overstatement" of embarrassment in the Greek sample are discussed in relation to national stereotypes.