Research on the Relationship Between Blushing and Higher-order Social Cognition

Yanzhe Yang

doi:10.54254/2753-7048/2025.NS29999

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public MediaOpen access

Research on the Relationship Between Blushing and Higher-order Social Cognition

Research Article

Open Access

Research on the Relationship Between Blushing and Higher-order Social Cognition

Yanzhe Yang ^1*

¹ Zaozhuang University

^*Corresponding author: 1427967522@qq.com

Published on 26 November 2025

LNEP Vol.114

ISSN (Print): 2753-7056

ISSN (Online): 2753-7048

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-511-0

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-512-7

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Abstract

The topic, followed by blushing, is related to higher-order social cognition is a problem. This is a worthy topic to research. To uncover the neural activity linked to blushing, while also shedding light on the mental processes that underpin this physiological response and the mechanisms that contribute to the formation of self-awareness. This study explored the neural basis of blushing. Participants viewed pre-recorded videos of themselves singing karaoke inside an MRI scanner, while videos of others served as controls. Cheek temperature, used as a physiological indicator of blushing, and brain activity were recorded concurrently through fMRI. Sixty-three individuals were recruited, and after excluding data errors, 49 valid datasets remained, including 40 participants who completed MRI scanning. Each participant watched both their own and others’ singing performances, enabling direct comparison across conditions. Results revealed that facial flushing was most pronounced when participants observed their own recordings. This condition was associated with stronger activation in the cerebellar lobule V, left paracentral lobule, and early visual cortex, indicating faster sensory processing. Overall, the findings suggest a clear link between blushing and the engagement of neural systems involved in emotion regulation. Moreover, the results imply that the occurrence of blushing does not necessarily depend on complex social-cognitive mechanisms, but may instead arise from more fundamental sensorimotor and affective processes.

Keywords:

Blushing, brain activity, self-awareness

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References

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References

[1]. Leary MR, Britt TW, Cutlip WD, Templeton JL.1992. Mentally. 112, 446-460. (10.1037/0033-2909.112.3.446)

[3]. Cox RW 1996. AFNI: Software for analyzing and visualizing functional magnetic resonance neural images. Calculation. Biomedical. Res. 29, 162-173. (10.1006/CB Mr. 1996.0014)

[5]. Bhave VM, Nectow AR. 2021. The dorsal nucleus of the middle slit controls the energy balance. Trend Neuroscience 44, 946-960. (10.1016 / j.t. ins. 2021.09.004)

[6]. Nikolic M, Di Plinio S, Sauter D, Keysers C, Gazzola V. 2024. The blushing brain: The neural matrix of cheek temperature rises due to self-observation.

Cite this article

Yang,Y. (2025). Research on the Relationship Between Blushing and Higher-order Social Cognition. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,114,52-61.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on International Law and Legal Policy

ISBN: 978-1-80590-511-0(Print) / 978-1-80590-512-7(Online)

Editor: Renuka Thakore, Abdullah Laghari

Conference website: https://2025.icillp.org/Nawabshah.html

Conference date: 17 October 2025

Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Volume number: Vol.114

ISSN: 2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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