Do you know someone who is easily embarrassed?

If so, you probably trust them. Embarrassment, it seems, is a sign of virtue, according to researchers in California who established a firm link between embarrassment and trustworthiness.  So if you’re a person who is easily embarrassed, let it show, and know that those around will trust you all the more.

Explained researcher Matthew Feinberg, a University of California-Berkeley doctoral student in psychology: “Moderate levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue.”  He added: “Our data suggests embarrassment is a good thing, not something you should fight.” Feinberg’s paper, co-authored by UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer and Dacher Keltner, was recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and was titled “Flustered and Faithful: Embarrassment as a Signal of Prosociality.”

In a press release from UC Berkeley, Willer was quoted as saying that embarrassment was “part of the social glue that fosters trust and cooperation in everyday life.”  He described it as “an emotional signature of a person to whom you can entrust valuable resources.”  The authors explained that the moderate type of embarrassment that they analyzed is quite different from “shame” – an emotion often displayed when a person commits some type of moral transgression (e.g., cheating).

How can you tell the difference between embarrassment and shame?  Feinberg who said that people typically express embarrassment by gazing downwards to one side while partially covering their face (often accompanied by a smirk or grimace).  And shame? Feinberg said that people typically cover their whole face.

The researchers conducted three experiments in which participants watched an actor’s emotional reactions.  They accounted for variables, but each time arrived at the same conclusion: participants trusted the actor more if they observed him showing embarrassment, and they trusted him less if they saw him showing pride.

The bottom line: embarrassment signals people’s tendency to be pro-social. Said Feinberg, quoted in the article: “You want to affiliate with them more, you feel comfortable trusting them.”

So the next time you’re embarrassed, go with it. You just might wind up managing your friend’s financial portfolio.