Why Is Popping Zits So Satisfying?

Humans love popping zits so much precisely because it's gross. Learn about all the fascinating reasons why we find pimples so fascinating in this episode of BrainStuff.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works, Hi brain Stuff,
Lauren Voge obam here. Most people don't like having pimples.
In fact, acne treatment is a nearly five billion dollar
a year global industry, but for many there's a silver
lining to the errant, unwanted sit Eventually, if you're patient,

(00:22):
strategic and delicate, you'll get to pop it just right.
Don't worry, no one's judging. I'm certainly not. Despite or
perhaps because of the gross out factor. There's even a
major online presence of pimple popping videos, like those put
up by dermatologist Dr Sandra Lee, perhaps better known as
Dr pimple Popper, whose YouTube channel has more than three

(00:43):
point five million followers. Whether or not watching other people's
bodily fluids get expressed is your personal jam, Popping your
own sits is usually a cathartic experience. So um why.
As with just about everything we do, the brain and
a whole old smorge board of chemicals are involved. So
the human response to zip popping is more complicated than

(01:05):
we thought. Zip management often captures our attention, not like
kittens do because looking at them is pleasant, but rather
the opposite. We're disgusted by it. The emotion of disgust
is a powerful, multifaceted, often contradictory instinct. We spoke via
email with Purdue University professor Daniel Kelly, the author of Yuck,
The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust. He said, you

(01:29):
make that yuck face, you tend to think of the
disgusting thing is contaminated and contaminating, polluted. You get that
flash of nausea and emotional frision, But you also tend
to keep an eye on, keep track of whatever it
is that triggered your disgust. So disgusting things also attract
and capture attention. It's just part of the way the
psychological system works, how it's able to do its job well.

(01:52):
As a result, this inherent disgust causes us to pop
the zip or watch these zip popping video. We also
e conversed with Matt Trout, a psychotherapist in California who
specializes in the psychological aspects of skin conditions. He said,
for many people, pimple popping comes from a compulsion to
ensure that their skin looks and feels smooth. They view

(02:13):
any irregular patch or bump, such as a pimple as
an imperfection that must be removed, but there's also a
pleasurable side to getting the puss out of a big ZiT.
Florida based neuropsychologist Rhonda Freeman says that positive sensations associated
with pimple popping actually begin well before the act is committed.
She said via email, prior to popping the pimple, there

(02:35):
might be the sensation of wanting to engage in the act.
The neurotransmitter dopamine as at play at this stage and
may fuel some of the anticipatory excitement of going for
the ZiT. This can cause a person to feel stimulated
as the system is ignited into action. Stimulating because it
could be gross, and there's the possibility of pain, and
it might get messy. The fun is hardly over before

(02:57):
it begins. However, she continued, Once the pimple is popped,
there is often the immediate sensation of pleasure and relief.
This is probably thanks to the liking or hadonic response
from the reward system, and that reward system is some
serious stuff. The neuro transmitters and action at that point
are endogenous opioids, which double as natural pain killers and

(03:17):
generally just make us feel good. Then there are those
people who enjoy popping other people's pimples. This urge is
as old as time and is commonly seen in primates.
Dr Freeman explained primates are very social creatures and experience
the release of oxytocin when engaged in the act of grooming.
We have the same neurochemical release when we groom each other. However,

(03:39):
it's not all golden. Psychotherapist Troub said if you are
stressed or anxious, pimple popping can give temporary relief but
doesn't address the underlying issues. Instead of dealing with the
actual problems, pimple popping can be a quick fix that
makes you feel like you're resolving in urgent matter or
source of stress. He also noted that excessive pimple popping
is a way that's people abuse themselves, especially those who

(04:02):
are being picked on by others, whether at home, work, school,
or so on. He said, popping your pimples can be
a strategic behavior to give you a sense of control
over yourself. By literally picking on yourself, you can feel
some control over the unwelcome behavior of others. Your skin
can become a metaphor with pimples, acting as a message
of inferiority. Clearing those pimples can provide relief for a substitute.

(04:26):
You might try popping bubble wrap. The act of popping
those plastic pieces releases muscle tension, effectively reducing stress. It
has also been shown to facilitate calmness and attentiveness. Today's
episode was written by Aliya Hoyt and produced by Tyler Playing,
with kind engineering assistance from Ramsay Youngt. For more on

(04:47):
this and lots of other pop and topics, visit our
home planet, how stuff Works dot com.