"Awwnnnn! I am blushing!!!"
That is a very popular clichè people especially lades use when they receive a compliment. But what is the real meaning of blushing?
Well, the medical term for Blush is Erythema. Blushing is the involuntary reddening of a
person's face due to emotional stress.
Examples of emotional responses that may
trigger blushing include embarrassment ,
anger , or ROMANTIC STIMULATION . Severe
blushing is common in people who suffer
social anxiety in which the person experiences
extreme and persistent anxiety in social and
performance situations.
Some people are very sensitive to emotional
stress. Given a stimulus such as
a romantic compliment, the person's sympathetic
nervous system will cause blood vessels to open
wide, flooding the skin with blood and
resulting in reddening of the face. In some
people, the ears, neck and upper chest may
also blush. As well as causing redness,
blushing can sometimes make the affected
area feel hot.
Erythrophobia is the fear of blushing
from Greek red, and Greek :
fear, literally "fear of redness".
The blush makes a particularly effective
signal because it is involuntary and
uncontrollable. Of course, a blush can be
unwanted [but the] costs to the blusher on
specific occasions are outweighed by the
long-term benefits of being seen as adhering
to the group and by the general advantages
the blush provides: indeed the costs may
enhance the signal’s perceived value."
In some parts of the world, making a person
blush without being crude earns a kiss from
that person.
A blush is very noticeable in people of the white races but it is relatively unnoticeable in the blacks e.g Nigerians due to the colour of the skin.