Book 1, Question 18
Why Do We Blush? A Very Human Superpower!
Have your cheeks ever turned pink when something was funny, surprising or kind? When your brain notices a strong feeling, tiny blood vessels in your cheeks open up and send extra blood to the skin, which gives you a pink or red glow. The page says many animals, like dogs, cats and frogs, do not blush the way people do. Blushing is normal and shows your body cares about emotions.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 1
More fun facts
- Doctors also call blushing skin flushing. It is a normal way your body reacts.
- A blush can show up on your cheeks, your neck, or your upper chest.
- Blushing is a sudden rush of extra blood flowing to the skin.
- Strong feelings like embarrassment or affection are the most common blush triggers.
- Blushing is not easy to see on every skin tone, but anyone's face can get warmer when they blush.
- The famous scientist Charles Darwin called blushing the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.
- In one study, scientists in Amsterdam had volunteers sing hard karaoke songs, then watch their own singing while others watched too. They scanned brains and measured cheek temperature to learn more about blushing.
Sources: Cleveland Clinic, BBC, BBC
Questions kids ask
Can everyone blush?
Blushing is common to people. It may not look obvious on every skin tone, but anyone's face can get warmer.
What makes people blush?
Strong feelings, most often embarrassment or affection, send extra blood to the skin of your face, neck, or chest.