Embarrassment is the least powerful of these emotions. Women described “embarrassing situations” as much less serious than either guilt or shame. Embarrassment is, by definition, something that is fleeting, often eventually funny and very normal (e.g., tripping, misspeaking, etc.). Regardless of how embarrassing a situation might be, we know (or at least have heard) that it happens to other people and we know it will go away. I don’t want to walk out of the bathroom with toilet paper on my shoe, but if I do, I’ll know I’m not the first or only one to have done
