People Are Sharing The Most Embarrassing Thing They've Ever Witnessed, Here Are 30 Of The Most Painful

Embarrassment is a feeling we’re all familiar with. Whether you experience it frequently or if you have one particularly painful memory seared into your brain, no one is immune to the feeling. And although many of us hate being embarrassed for obvious reasons, we tend to love hearing other people share their most mortifying moments. Telling friends and family about a painfully embarrassing moment requires vulnerability because, let’s be honest, the reaction is often going to be laughter. But these stories can also be incredibly endearing. Who wants intimidating friends who have never had food stuck in their teeth on a date or waved back to someone who wasn't actually waving at them? Embarrassing moments are a part of the human experience, and whether we like it or not, they’re just a reminder that nobody can be polished 100% of the time.

We reached out to Dave Nadelberg, the founder of Mortified, to hear why he thinks we love hearing embarrassing stories. "Everyone can relate to moments of vulnerability," Dave told us. "They help us feel closer to one another." Since his show focuses on specifically teen moments of angst and embarrassment, we asked Dave why he thinks adolescents are so susceptible to being mortified. "When kids are trying to navigate the world, everything is new to them. With that newness inherently comes a clumsiness," he said. "We love celebrating those mishaps as rites of passage as opposed to something to hide from. Our podcast and stage show are about helping people own their shame."

We also asked Dave if he thinks people ever reach an age where nothing embarrasses them. "Nope. As long as we are humans, we will make mistakes. And there’s nothing wrong with that." Lastly, he wanted to add that, "Mortified’s podcast has hundreds of episodes filled with stories anyone can relate to, no happy or how sad their childhood memories are." If you'd like to hear some of those stories, you can find the Mortified podcast right here.

Now, you may be thinking: I never get embarrassed because I never do anything stupid. And it is true that some people have a higher threshold for embarrassment, but some things are just out of our control. So to anyone who claims they never do anything embarrassing, I raise you some of the following examples from College Times’ list of “Embarrassing Moments We’ve All Experienced”. Ever tried to take a picture of someone else or in a dark room and your camera flash went off? How about this one: accidentally sending a text about someone you know to that person.

Even small encounters that only cause a brief moment of embarrassment count, like going to drink something and spilling it on yourself or tripping while walking down the street. Have you ever walked in on someone using the bathroom, or worse, had someone walk in on you? Maybe your stomach has growled loudly while sitting in a silent room, or you’ve accidentally liked a photo from three years ago while stalking a crush on Instagram. Perhaps you’ve realized halfway through the day that you put on your shirt inside out that morning or accidentally fallen asleep on a stranger’s shoulder on an airplane. Okay, you get the idea. The point is: we’ve all been there.  

Though you may try to avoid it at all costs, embarrassment does not have to be the bane of your existence. Stephanie Vozza wrote a piece for Fast Company explaining “Why Embarrassment Can Be A Good Thing” and even provided some tips on how to handle it. According to Dr. Susan David, a Harvard Medical School psychologist and author of the book Emotional Agility, “Embarrassment is what is called a ‘self-conscious’ emotion; something that we experience in relation to others when we make a mistake or behave in a way that is against social norms or standards.” Though this can be perceived as a negative emotion, it can actually yield benefits. David notes that people who openly feel and express embarrassment are more likely to be trusted and forgiven than people who bottle up their embarrassment.

The potential of embarrassment can also lead to us being more prepared for difficult situations. Having a public presentation in class or at work, for example, incentivizes us to do our best. Otherwise, we might disappoint our colleagues or embarrass ourselves in front of our peers. David also points out that embarrassment “shines a light on things that are of value to us, such as meeting expectations or not letting others down” and can even be a way of “maintaining social order”. It’s hard for anyone's ego to become monstrously large when they're served a healthy portion of mortification every once in a while.

When it comes to dealing with embarrassing moments, it’s best to have a sense of humor and show ourselves compassion. Don’t be afraid to call yourself out; even acknowledging the moment with an “oops!” or saying, “That was awkward!” exhibits your self-awareness and releases tension for everyone involved. It also helps to stay cool when you’re feeling embarrassed, figuratively and literally. One study at the Western University in Canada found that people feeling shame and embarrassment are more likely to reach for a cold drink and that doing something embarrassing in a warm environment can cause people to feel worse about the situation. The biggest thing to remember, however, is to not dwell on these moments. As Dr. Susan David says, “When you recognize that you are human and imperfect, just like all other humans are imperfect, it gives us permission to let go of the past embarrassment with the knowledge that we did our best.” 

As painful as it is to experience our own embarrassing moments, sometimes all it takes to solicit a strong emotional reaction is seeing or hearing about someone else’s humiliation. Just like seeing someone cry can cause us to melt into a puddle of tears, witnessing an embarrassing moment can cause painful secondhand or vicarious embarrassment. According to Emma Azzopardi, a psychotherapist and developing clinical psychologist, secondhand embarrassment is a perfectly normal response. 

“As social animals, empathy is a key trait that evolved to help us to be part of a community and to live harmoniously within it. We recognize embarrassing situations for others through neural pathways activated in the anterior cingulate cortex and the left anterior insula regions of the brain. These are regions implicated in the experiencing of 'social pain' related to the situations that others, rather than us, find themselves in. It is these same cortical structures that are involved in the mental responses we would have if we witness the physical pain of another person."

In fact, vicarious embarrassment might be something to be proud of. Lee Chambers, an environmental psychologist, states that, “It is clear that our level of vicarious embarrassment is correlated to our level of empathy. The ability to feel others' embarrassment requires us to imagine how they think and feel. It also requires us to be aware of the social norms that are being broken. An empath will have intense empathy for others and lack the usual filters that protect us from absorbing the environment around us. They are likely to be sensitive to environmental stressors and overstimulated easily from a sensory perspective. Because the empathetic process is amplified, vicarious embarrassment will also be felt more deeply, as empathy is fundamental to feeling vicarious embarrassment."