Eli5:what muscles are responsible for the cringe sensation? Why does your body react the way it does when such an event occurs?

Question

Eli5:what muscles are responsible for the cringe sensation? Why does your body react the way it does when such an event occurs?

In: Biology

Answer 1

It’s a physical reaction to an emotional trigger. The whole ‘cringe’ thing is sympathetic embarrassment, as we put ourselves in the subject’s place and imagine how we’d feel in that situation.