WEBVTT - Why Is Popping Zits So Satisfying?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hi brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Voge obam here. Most people don't like having pimples.

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<v Speaker 1>In fact, acne treatment is a nearly five billion dollar

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<v Speaker 1>a year global industry, but for many there's a silver

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<v Speaker 1>lining to the errant, unwanted sit Eventually, if you're patient,

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<v Speaker 1>strategic and delicate, you'll get to pop it just right.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't worry, no one's judging. I'm certainly not. Despite or

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps because of the gross out factor. There's even a

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<v Speaker 1>major online presence of pimple popping videos, like those put

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<v Speaker 1>up by dermatologist Dr Sandra Lee, perhaps better known as

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<v Speaker 1>Dr pimple Popper, whose YouTube channel has more than three

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<v Speaker 1>point five million followers. Whether or not watching other people's

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<v Speaker 1>bodily fluids get expressed is your personal jam, Popping your

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<v Speaker 1>own sits is usually a cathartic experience. So um why.

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<v Speaker 1>As with just about everything we do, the brain and

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<v Speaker 1>a whole old smorge board of chemicals are involved. So

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<v Speaker 1>the human response to zip popping is more complicated than

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<v Speaker 1>we thought. Zip management often captures our attention, not like

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<v Speaker 1>kittens do because looking at them is pleasant, but rather

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<v Speaker 1>the opposite. We're disgusted by it. The emotion of disgust

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<v Speaker 1>is a powerful, multifaceted, often contradictory instinct. We spoke via

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<v Speaker 1>email with Purdue University professor Daniel Kelly, the author of Yuck,

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<v Speaker 1>The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust. He said, you

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<v Speaker 1>make that yuck face, you tend to think of the

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<v Speaker 1>disgusting thing is contaminated and contaminating, polluted. You get that

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<v Speaker 1>flash of nausea and emotional frision, But you also tend

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<v Speaker 1>to keep an eye on, keep track of whatever it

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<v Speaker 1>is that triggered your disgust. So disgusting things also attract

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<v Speaker 1>and capture attention. It's just part of the way the

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<v Speaker 1>psychological system works, how it's able to do its job well.

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<v Speaker 1>As a result, this inherent disgust causes us to pop

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<v Speaker 1>the zip or watch these zip popping video. We also

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<v Speaker 1>e conversed with Matt Trout, a psychotherapist in California who

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<v Speaker 1>specializes in the psychological aspects of skin conditions. He said,

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<v Speaker 1>for many people, pimple popping comes from a compulsion to

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<v Speaker 1>ensure that their skin looks and feels smooth. They view

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<v Speaker 1>any irregular patch or bump, such as a pimple as

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<v Speaker 1>an imperfection that must be removed, but there's also a

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<v Speaker 1>pleasurable side to getting the puss out of a big ZiT.

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<v Speaker 1>Florida based neuropsychologist Rhonda Freeman says that positive sensations associated

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<v Speaker 1>with pimple popping actually begin well before the act is committed.

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<v Speaker 1>She said via email, prior to popping the pimple, there

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<v Speaker 1>might be the sensation of wanting to engage in the act.

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<v Speaker 1>The neurotransmitter dopamine as at play at this stage and

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<v Speaker 1>may fuel some of the anticipatory excitement of going for

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<v Speaker 1>the ZiT. This can cause a person to feel stimulated

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<v Speaker 1>as the system is ignited into action. Stimulating because it

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<v Speaker 1>could be gross, and there's the possibility of pain, and

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<v Speaker 1>it might get messy. The fun is hardly over before

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<v Speaker 1>it begins. However, she continued, Once the pimple is popped,

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<v Speaker 1>there is often the immediate sensation of pleasure and relief.

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<v Speaker 1>This is probably thanks to the liking or hadonic response

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<v Speaker 1>from the reward system, and that reward system is some

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<v Speaker 1>serious stuff. The neuro transmitters and action at that point

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<v Speaker 1>are endogenous opioids, which double as natural pain killers and

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<v Speaker 1>generally just make us feel good. Then there are those

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<v Speaker 1>people who enjoy popping other people's pimples. This urge is

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<v Speaker 1>as old as time and is commonly seen in primates.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Freeman explained primates are very social creatures and experience

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<v Speaker 1>the release of oxytocin when engaged in the act of grooming.

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<v Speaker 1>We have the same neurochemical release when we groom each other. However,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not all golden. Psychotherapist Troub said if you are

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<v Speaker 1>stressed or anxious, pimple popping can give temporary relief but

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't address the underlying issues. Instead of dealing with the

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<v Speaker 1>actual problems, pimple popping can be a quick fix that

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<v Speaker 1>makes you feel like you're resolving in urgent matter or

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<v Speaker 1>source of stress. He also noted that excessive pimple popping

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<v Speaker 1>is a way that's people abuse themselves, especially those who

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<v Speaker 1>are being picked on by others, whether at home, work, school,

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<v Speaker 1>or so on. He said, popping your pimples can be

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<v Speaker 1>a strategic behavior to give you a sense of control

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<v Speaker 1>over yourself. By literally picking on yourself, you can feel

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<v Speaker 1>some control over the unwelcome behavior of others. Your skin

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<v Speaker 1>can become a metaphor with pimples, acting as a message

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<v Speaker 1>of inferiority. Clearing those pimples can provide relief for a substitute.

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<v Speaker 1>You might try popping bubble wrap. The act of popping

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<v Speaker 1>those plastic pieces releases muscle tension, effectively reducing stress. It

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<v Speaker 1>has also been shown to facilitate calmness and attentiveness. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Aliya Hoyt and produced by Tyler Playing,

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<v Speaker 1>with kind engineering assistance from Ramsay Youngt. For more on

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other pop and topics, visit our

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<v Speaker 1>home planet, how stuff Works dot com.