This is the reason why you find pimple popping videos satisfying

They’re gross and disgusting, but for some strange reason, you can’t get enough of watching people have their pimples popped. There are millions of people who ardently follow YouTube channels dedicated to the extraction of puss, cyst and pore clogs from the body. The trend was popularized by Dr Sandra Lee, AKA Dr Pimple Popper four years ago. She has since garnered millions of subscribers on YouTube as well as a TV show dedicated to pimple popping. So why do we find such videos satisfying?

Benign masochism

On a normal day, you will be disgusted by any form of bodily secretion from other people. Interestingly, we tend to have higher tolerance for disgust when presented with it on a small, controlled scale. Dr Abigail Cline explained in Men’s Health, a possible reason why we seem drawn to disgust.

The concept of ‘benign masochism’ illustrates how humans are attracted to experiences that produce undesirable emotions, such as disgust. People might take pleasure in the mind-over-body aspect of conquering their innate repulsion

This could also explain why people keep watching horror films despite the terrifying impact they leave. Dr Brine suggests added:

You’re testing yourself to see how much you can tolerate before you look away. When watching a popping video, some audience members get a rush of dopamine, while others get a rush of nausea.

Safely disgusting

According to scientists, humans have evolved to treat with disgust bodily fluids and excretions from other people as a way to protect ourselves from catching infections, a UK research espouses. Psychology Today argues that while we may still find pimple popping videos to be disgusting, they pose no real threat to us, thus the high tolerance threshold.

While a pimple popping video is disgusting, it does not pose a real threat to the health of the people watching it, just like somebody watching a horror movie is not in danger of getting murdered.

Sources used:

Men’s Health: This Is What It Means if You Enjoy Watching Pimple Popping Videos

Pop Sugar: Why Are So Many People Turning to Extraction Videos Right Now?

Psychology Today: Why Some People Enjoy Watching Pimple Popping Videos

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