Body Language of Ear Blushing
Cue: Ear Blushing
Synonym(s): Ear Flushing
Description: Reddening of the ears.
In One Sentence: Ear reddening is a sign that someone is experiencing nervousness, stress, embarrassment, excitement, or is being physically active.
How To Use it: Ear reddening is not a cue that is usefully used and happens autonomically.
Context: General.
Verbal Translation: “I’m getting worked up and blood is rushing to the periphery of my body in effort to produce a cooling effect.”
Variant: See Blanching.
Cue In Action: a) It was Stacey’s turn to present next, her heart began to race and her ears turned a bright shade of red, she was nervous. b) The marathon caused the runner to flush in the face, ears, neck and chest.
Meaning and/or Motivation: Blushing usually appears in the chest and cheeks, but it also occurs in the ears. Blushing signifies stress, excitement, embarrassment and nervousness.
Other times people are prone to blushing with relatively low stress levels as a physiological condition. Blushing can also be the result of high activity levels where blood is pumped all over the body and outer skin so it can give off heat and cool the body off.
Blushing is linked to the release of adrenaline and cortisol which courses through the body. The hormone also diverts blood flow from the digestive system and shunts it to major muscle groups giving them a burst of energy. As a side effect, our blood vessels that deliver blood to our faces dilate, meaning they relax or open, allowing more blood to reach the surface of our ears causing them to turn red.
Cue Cluster: We usually see other nervous body language with blushing such as trembling hands, head lowering, shoulder shrugging, body turned away, eye contact avoidance, shaking the head, overall freezing, and lowered voice volume.
Body Language Category: Arousal, Autonomic signal, Emotional body language, Nervous body language, Embarrassment (nonverbal), Shy nonverbal, Stressful body language, Physiological signals.
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