WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: Why Is Popping Zits So Satisfying?

0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:06.440
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:09.079
<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Bogel bomb In. Today's episode is

0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:12.639
<v Speaker 1>another classic from our archives. In this one, we discussed

0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:17.200
<v Speaker 1>the strange and strangely widespread fascination we humans have with

0:00:17.280 --> 0:00:22.960
<v Speaker 1>something so gross as popping zits. Hi brain Stuff Lauren

0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:27.400
<v Speaker 1>Vogel bam here. Most people don't like having pimples. In fact,

0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:30.640
<v Speaker 1>acne treatment is a nearly five billion dollar a year

0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:34.400
<v Speaker 1>global industry, but for many there's a silver lining to

0:00:34.440 --> 0:00:39.559
<v Speaker 1>the errant, unwanted sit Eventually, if you're patient, strategic and delicate,

0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:43.479
<v Speaker 1>you'll get to pop it just right. Don't worry, no

0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:47.239
<v Speaker 1>one's judging. I'm certainly not. Despite or perhaps because of

0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.479
<v Speaker 1>the gross out factor, there's even a major online presence

0:00:50.479 --> 0:00:53.880
<v Speaker 1>of pimple popping videos, like those put up by dermatologist

0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.080
<v Speaker 1>Dr Sandra Lee, perhaps better known as Dr pimple Popper,

0:00:57.320 --> 0:01:00.360
<v Speaker 1>whose YouTube channel has more than three point five million

0:01:00.400 --> 0:01:03.960
<v Speaker 1>of followers. Whether or not watching other people's bodily fluids

0:01:03.960 --> 0:01:07.080
<v Speaker 1>get expressed is your personal jam, Popping your own zits

0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:13.120
<v Speaker 1>is usually a cathartic experience. So um why, As with

0:01:13.280 --> 0:01:15.720
<v Speaker 1>just about everything we do, the brain and a whole

0:01:15.720 --> 0:01:18.920
<v Speaker 1>smorg sport of chemicals are involved, so the human response

0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:22.400
<v Speaker 1>to zip popping is more complicated than we thought. Zip

0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:26.119
<v Speaker 1>management often captures our attention, not like kittens do because

0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:29.040
<v Speaker 1>looking at them is pleasant, but rather the opposite. We're

0:01:29.160 --> 0:01:33.440
<v Speaker 1>disgusted by it. The emotion of disgust is a powerful, multifaceted,

0:01:33.640 --> 0:01:38.000
<v Speaker 1>often contradictory instinct. We spoke via email with Purdue University

0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.600
<v Speaker 1>professor Daniel Kelly, the author of Yuck, The Nature and

0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:46.040
<v Speaker 1>Moral Significance of Disgust. He said, you make that yuck face,

0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:49.080
<v Speaker 1>you tend to think of the disgusting thing is contaminated

0:01:49.080 --> 0:01:52.520
<v Speaker 1>and contaminating, polluted. You get that flash of nausea and

0:01:52.560 --> 0:01:55.400
<v Speaker 1>emotional frision, But you also tend to keep an eye on,

0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.600
<v Speaker 1>keep track of whatever it is that triggered your disgust.

0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:02.720
<v Speaker 1>So disgusting thing is also attract and capture attention. It's

0:02:02.800 --> 0:02:05.360
<v Speaker 1>just part of the way the psychological system works, how

0:02:05.360 --> 0:02:08.359
<v Speaker 1>it's able to do its job well. As a result,

0:02:08.440 --> 0:02:11.400
<v Speaker 1>this inherent disgust causes us to pop the ZiT or

0:02:11.560 --> 0:02:15.280
<v Speaker 1>watch these zip popping video. We also e conversed with

0:02:15.360 --> 0:02:18.880
<v Speaker 1>Matt Troube, a psychotherapist in California, who specializes in the

0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:23.200
<v Speaker 1>psychological aspects of skin conditions. He said, for many people,

0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:26.200
<v Speaker 1>pimple popping comes from a compulsion to ensure that their

0:02:26.240 --> 0:02:29.959
<v Speaker 1>skin looks and feels smooth. They view any irregular patch

0:02:30.040 --> 0:02:32.640
<v Speaker 1>or bump, such as a pimple, as an imperfection that

0:02:32.760 --> 0:02:36.880
<v Speaker 1>must be removed, but there's also a pleasurable side to

0:02:36.960 --> 0:02:39.840
<v Speaker 1>getting the pus out of a big ZiT. Florida based

0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:44.400
<v Speaker 1>neuropsychologist Rhonda Freeman says that positive sensations associated with pimple

0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:47.880
<v Speaker 1>popping actually begin well before the act is committed. She

0:02:47.960 --> 0:02:51.240
<v Speaker 1>said via email. Prior to popping the pimple, there might

0:02:51.280 --> 0:02:54.000
<v Speaker 1>be the sensation of wanting to engage in the act.

0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:57.160
<v Speaker 1>The neurotransmitter dopamine as at play at this stage and

0:02:57.200 --> 0:03:00.320
<v Speaker 1>may fuel some of the anticipatory excitement of going for

0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:03.200
<v Speaker 1>the ZiT. This can cause a person to feel stimulated

0:03:03.240 --> 0:03:06.720
<v Speaker 1>as the system is ignited into action. Stimulating because it

0:03:06.800 --> 0:03:09.880
<v Speaker 1>could be gross, and there's the possibility of pain and

0:03:10.000 --> 0:03:13.160
<v Speaker 1>it might get messy. The fun is hardly over before

0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:16.520
<v Speaker 1>it begins, However, she continued, Once the pimple is popped,

0:03:16.600 --> 0:03:19.720
<v Speaker 1>there is often the immediate sensation of pleasure and relief.

0:03:20.200 --> 0:03:23.600
<v Speaker 1>This is probably thanks to the liking or hadonic response

0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:26.880
<v Speaker 1>from the reward system, and that reward system is some

0:03:26.960 --> 0:03:29.960
<v Speaker 1>serious stuff. The neuro transmitters and action at that point

0:03:30.000 --> 0:03:33.200
<v Speaker 1>are endogenous opioids, which double as natural pain killers and

0:03:33.360 --> 0:03:36.560
<v Speaker 1>generally just make us feel good. Then there are those

0:03:36.560 --> 0:03:39.920
<v Speaker 1>people who enjoy popping other people's pimples. This urge is

0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:42.800
<v Speaker 1>as old as time and is commonly seen in primates.

0:03:43.320 --> 0:03:47.400
<v Speaker 1>Dr Freeman explained primates are very social creatures and experienced

0:03:47.400 --> 0:03:50.520
<v Speaker 1>the release of oxytocin when engaged in the act of grooming.

0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:54.960
<v Speaker 1>We have the same neurochemical release when we groom each other. However,

0:03:55.240 --> 0:03:58.840
<v Speaker 1>it's not all golden. Psychotherapist Troub said, if you are

0:03:58.880 --> 0:04:02.320
<v Speaker 1>stressed or anxious, pimple popping can give temporary relief but

0:04:02.440 --> 0:04:05.640
<v Speaker 1>doesn't address the underlying issues. Instead of dealing with the

0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:08.480
<v Speaker 1>actual problems, pimple popping can be a quick fix that

0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:10.760
<v Speaker 1>makes you feel like you're resolving in urgent matter or

0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:14.680
<v Speaker 1>source of stress. He also noted that excessive pimple popping

0:04:14.840 --> 0:04:17.840
<v Speaker 1>is a way that some people abuse themselves, especially those

0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:21.280
<v Speaker 1>who are being picked on by others, whether at home, work, school,

0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:24.440
<v Speaker 1>or so on. He said, Popping your pimples can be

0:04:24.480 --> 0:04:27.000
<v Speaker 1>a strategic behavior to give you a sense of control

0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:30.559
<v Speaker 1>over yourself. By literally picking on yourself, you can feel

0:04:30.560 --> 0:04:33.920
<v Speaker 1>some control over the unwelcome behavior of others. Your skin

0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.960
<v Speaker 1>can become a metaphor, with pimples acting as a message

0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:41.919
<v Speaker 1>of inferiority. Clearing those pimples can provide relief for a substitute.

0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.680
<v Speaker 1>You might try popping bubble wrap. The act of popping

0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:48.880
<v Speaker 1>those plastic pieces releases muscle tension, effectively reducing stress. It

0:04:48.920 --> 0:05:00.000
<v Speaker 1>has also been shown to facilitate calmness and attentiveness. Today's

0:05:00.040 --> 0:05:02.000
<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the article why do we love

0:05:02.000 --> 0:05:04.360
<v Speaker 1>to pop sits? On how stuff works dot com written

0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:06.800
<v Speaker 1>by Leo Hoyt. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart

0:05:06.880 --> 0:05:08.920
<v Speaker 1>Radio and partnership with how stuff works dot Com and

0:05:09.040 --> 0:05:11.880
<v Speaker 1>is produced by Tyler Kleine. Or more podcasts of my

0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:14.840
<v Speaker 1>heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:16.720
<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.