The question is why has pimple-popping and the like become an internet sensation. We dug in to find out why.
The disgust response causes us to remove anything that looks like it doesnt belong.
Over time, people have developed a response, known as the disgust response, to dangers such as dirt, bugs, and signs of disease to repel any hazards that threaten survival.
Similarly, humans that see a large bulge of acne growing on someones skin, such as in these pimple videos, develop a reflex to cleanse it. This seems to be rooted in a desire to want to conform and fit in by removing anything that seems like it doesn't belong, according to several studies cited by NOVA.
It can be thrilling to anticipate a pimple being popped and then seeing it happen
Watching pimple-popping videos can be a roller coaster ride of emotions, which can be just like an actual roller coaster: thrilling and fun.
Theres a cycle of anxiety or arousal before the act and a sense of relief after, Heather Berlin , PhD, a neuroscientist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Refinery29.
Pimple-popping videos are a survival mechanism.
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Watching gross videos featuring medical procedures, bug-eating, or pimple-popping also satisfies the inner curiosity of how others have dealt with these not-so-glamorous situations.
Exposure to these videos teaches people how to deal with these instances themselves and how to survive.
In watching a white, clogged mass oozing out of someones skin, you not only are glad that the person is getting rid of a pimple, but you also learn that there are solutions for you to solve the same skin problem.