Pimple popping, tonsil stones, ear wax and ingrown hair removal videos
continue to divide the internet. There are two kinds of people: those who
love to watch this abomination and those who don't understand why it can
be so exciting. They bring feelings of pleasure and feelings of absolute disgust.
While most people understand the satisfaction of popping your own pimples,
some of them are grossed out just by thinking about taking care of others' face.
That is a whole other level of grossness.
The most popular poster of such videos is Dr Sandra Lee, more widely known as
Dr Pimple Popper with over 6 million subscribers, who now has her own TV show
where she provides more insight into her patients' lives.
Warning: graphic content
Why do people find these videos so appealing?
It turns out that there are some actual scientific explanations for it.
In a nutshell, they make you feel good. When you pop your own pimples your brain releases the feel-good hormone – dopamine, which can be considered a neurological reward for disease avoidance. Even when you know you're not supposed to do it and it basically causes more harm than good, you feel both mental and physical pressure relief.
In a nutshell, they make you feel good. When you pop your own pimples your brain releases the feel-good hormone – dopamine, which can be considered a neurological reward for disease avoidance. Even when you know you're not supposed to do it and it basically causes more harm than good, you feel both mental and physical pressure relief.
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It is also possible to feel similar relief simply from watching someone else do it. People who enjoy watching such videos often compare it to riding a rollercoaster - what you experience are both euphoria and excitement, but also adrenaline. There’s a buildup of pressure which is then relieved.
Another reason why some find it so enjoyable is that humans usually like
watching or hearing about bad or unpleasant things, as long as they don’t apply
to them. Nina Stohminger, the author of Hedonics of Disgust says – "Negative
sensations are interesting, particularly when you're in a context where they can't hurt you. You're probably not going to step in dog sh*t just for the experience, but maybe you'd click on a link to watch someone else doing it." Makes a lot of sense.
sensations are interesting, particularly when you're in a context where they can't hurt you. You're probably not going to step in dog sh*t just for the experience, but maybe you'd click on a link to watch someone else doing it." Makes a lot of sense.
Another source of this excitement can be found in humans’ biology. Each of us
is programmed to be grossed out by things that our organism wants us to avoid –
things that potentially could be a threat. This urge is as old as time, and is
commonly seen in primates. Diana Fleischman, a clinical sexologist and a lecturer
at the University of Portsmouth once said - “We evolved in an environment where there were tons of ectoparasites like flies, lice,
and tics, which would all transmit disease. Animals have some adaptations to help
keep these things away — a horse in a field with horseflies can use their tails to
swat, or vibrate a region of their skin to scare off a fly. Humans have evolved to
groom each other to avoid these ectoparasites.”
So basically, grooming is rooted in us biologically.
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| Popping toys available on Amazon: 1, 2, 3. |
Questions:
1. Were you aware of why people find popping pimples so enjoyable?
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Sources:
Comments
No, but now It makes some sense that `when the gross out pimple disappears from our eyes, we get some relief and subsenquently dopamine as a reward by our brain. Each weird behaviour of the brain is linked to some evolutionery trait, so the urge to popping pimples could've been useful in the primitive times.
2.
Definitely grossed out, the visual aspect of it is not something pleasant to look at, and popping it doesn't help that image.
2. I think popping pimples are disgusting. It's just about body hygiene and bacteries.
2. I am on the side of those excited. It’s way more interesting than disgusting to me and I feel almost relieved when I watch someone extracting unhealthy substances out of human body. Moreover, I feel kinda annoyed when someone right next to me expresses his negative emotions about such a view, for example by saying phrases like “gross!, disgusting!”. It introduces stressful atmosphere, and these are just images, nothing serious. I mean – popping pimples, or even extracting huge cysts are nothing compared to pictures of real pain, like for example deformed bodies.
I guessed that this was related to our biology but did not know all these details. It was an interesting presentation. I didn’t even think that watching pimple popping videos would satisfy so many people.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
To be honest, I can`t choose the side. On the one hand, I am a very squeamish person and I try to avoid such videos. But on the other hand, if I accidentally find such content, I always want to watch through to the end to feel relieved.
2. To be honest, I never felt disgusted or excited. Just when I popped a pimple I knew I had to do it because it looks bad, I feel bad. It was a necessity, despite the fact that there was blood or a lot of pain. Thanks to the fact that I popped it felt good, I can also say that I am on the excited side.
2. Depends. I never had an idea to watch how people do it. But popping my own pimples is exciting for sure!
2. It’s difficult for me to choose a site. On the one hand, unusual medical cases are interesting, but the fact of removing imperfections is neither exciting nor disgusting for me. I’m glad that someone is able to help these people, so I don’t look at it in the above categories.
It's hard to explain why people like to watch disgusting recordings - squeezing pimples, removing ear wax from ears and other disgusting things. I think squeezing out artificial pimples is like watching horror movies. For example, Dr. Sandra Lee is an American dermatologist, known on the Internet as Dr. Pimple Popper. She runs a video channel where she shows how to squeeze out pimples properly. Although the recordings are disgusting and disgusting, Dr. Pimple Popper's videos are very popular and have millions of views
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
To me it's disgusting
2. On myself? I hate having pimples, so whenever any appears I immediately get rid of it. It bring me a bit of joy to do so, so I guess I'm leaning more towards excited group. On other hand I don't even imagine watching others do it. So in the end I'm on the side of neither group I think.
No, because I never thought about it. I will say that for several dozen years I have lived in this world and I never came up with the idea to wonder why people squeeze pimples. I think I'm already old. But on the other hand, everyone is looking for how to exist on the Internet and this is one of the ideas.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Disgusted that you can get excited about this. Excited, I know other cool things that evoke such feelings.
hehe, it's hard to know why people like this. Most often such toys are in Japan.
It is possible that people like such toys because squeezing pimples is a bit of ironizing.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
It sounds strange but even it is cool and I would happily buy it
1. Yes, I were aware of that. I myself am a big fan of popping and I also watch Dr Pimple Popper on almost daily basis. My boyfriend is a victim of my popping hobbies as well (and luckily he eats many sweets). Apparently many people are the same as I am. Honestly, I wouldn't call popping a hobby, but it does give me a lot of satisfaction.
2. Of course that I'm excited. Why wouldn't I be?
I wasn't aware of that and to be honest I didn't want anyone to make me aware of it. I’m one of these people who don't understand why it can be so exciting it’s gross and I don’t know what kind of creep made this kind of toys.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out
I’m on the side of grossed out… it’s just gross!! And I don’t want to talk about this.
Yes in some way. I think they are just use to do it and it gives them an enjoying feeling of getting rid of this tiny dirty things from their faces.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Personally I do it for myself and It gives me excitement of feeling more cleaner. But doing it for the others would disgust me.
I was not aware of the cause of this. I have always put this activity in the group with similar weird pleasures, for example popping the bubble wrap or smelling the gasoline.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Somewhere in the middle I guess. If becomes much less exciting when it is someone else's "imperfection".
2 / I think that on the side of the excited ... Since I often come across a video with these things on YouTube.
I have heard about the scale of this 'cult' around year ago, but I didn't really knew this woman has 6 million followers on YouTube. That's impressive,
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Definitely grossed out, I find other thing more enjoyable to watch e.g. videos about nature/our planet. I would consider learning Chinese more enjoyable than watching this videos.
2. Usually, I'm not easily grossed out by biological stuff. I can watch operations, do an injection or watch my own blood leaking into test-tube. Those things don't move me a bit. However, I am hugely grossed out by pimples and other staff they pop out... Even watching this video I had to gaze away a few times... I can't imagine watching it for pleasure.
I can understand why it's satisfying and ejoyable to pop pimples on themselves but sharing it or watching others doing it is extremely gross to me. Even this "toy" to pop pimples is so gross I can't even imagine me "playing" with it. It's funny, as the previous post I responded to in our conversation course I stated that I could put bugs and instects to my diet but playing popping fake pimples on a toy is unimaginable thing to me.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Even thinking about it makes me grossed out. I needed to skip this part from the video. I have immediate gag reflex.
I had no idea of how does it work. I was aware of the fact that there must be some kind of science behind that but I didn't know the specific reasons. To be honest that's quite interesting that there is a whole procedure of dopamine release during pimple popping. Weird but amazing at the same time.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
Well, to be honest I have to admit that when I pop a pimple myself out of my face there is a feeling of satisfaction to it, but watching others do it - that's gross. I have no interest of watching people cleaning their faces.
I used to have pimples as a child. I was excited when it popped because it was no longer present on my face. But I wasn’t thinking deeper about it, it was just something annoying to me. I don’t really know what excites other people, but I guess it’s a similar thing as pimples are generally gross.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
I wouldn’t say that I am excited or grossed out. It’s a normal thing and many people have to face this. Visually, yes they are gross, that’s why we pop them but I wouldn’t say that I am on either side.
2. I think I am on the side of grossed out. It is disgusting for me, I can not really understand how it can be enjoyable.
It might be useful to know this things but I prefer read about pimples then watch zoomed video in detail.
Yes I was aware that some people find it relaxing. This was some weird trend on facebook couple of years ago, I saw this videos literally everywhere.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
It’s definitely disgusting but also at the same time kind of fascinating, I want to stop watching but still watch it to see what happens.
Yes I was aware that some people find it relaxing. This was some weird trend on facebook couple of years ago, I saw this videos literally everywhere.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
It’s definitely disgusting but also at the same time kind of fascinating, I want to stop watching but still watch it to see what happens.
2. With a full certainty- I'm shocked and disgusted, really. What you saw, you can’t unsee.
No. And I was a little bit happier before I became aware, so thank you! Nonetheless, that was interesting to find out.
2. On which side are you – excited or grossed out?
It's disgusting. Thankfully I didn't eat anything. I don't think that I will ever enjoy videos like that.
2.Personally, it disgusts me. I don't know from which side it could be of interest to someone, and what's worse, I don't know how someone could consider it a pleasure. However, it is my personal opinion as long as it does not concern me and does not affect my life, I just don't care.