"The author provides here a scholarly, yet accessible, account of research into blushing, relating it to embarrassment, shame and shyness, and proposing an explanation in terms of self-consciousness and exposure of the self. He reviews what is known about the physiology of the blush, considers evidence for its universality, and evaluates explanations in terms of a nonverbal signal of apology and a reaction to unwanted social attention. He goes on to critically assess interventions and treatments for the fear of blushing."--Jacket.