Blushing is a well-known but relatively poorly understood phenomenon T
his paper reviews the phenomenology, neurobiology, and psychology of b
lushing. We argue that a neuroethological understanding of blushing pr
ovides a useful explanation of many aspects of normal blushing, and le
ads to a useful account of social phobia. More specifically, we argue
that social phobia can be conceptualized in terms of an inappropriate
appeasement display.