I think it's impossible to be a person who regularly uses any social media and not know what pimple popping is. If you're one of those few people, pimple popping is when a dermatologist pops pimples, blackheads, or cysts. It's pretty disgusting because there's always gunk or puss involved, which just typing the word 'puss' makes me heave.
However, whenever I find a pimple popping video on my feed or recommended videos, I find myself clicking and watching the entire thing and then going down a rabbit hole of videos. For some reason, it's so satisfying and nice to watch. But why? Why do so many people across so many places love these videos?
Before we dive into the science behind pimple popping, I feel the need to mention that while these videos are satisfying and make you want to do it on yourself right now, ONLY dermatologists do it for a reason. They know how to properly care for your skin and while you may think you're doing a really good job, trying to do professional pimple popping or blackhead removal is how you end up with infected pores and scars on your skin. So please be wary and only let professionals do work on your face.
Now to the part you're here for: the reason pimple popping is so satisfying for us humans to watch is that we used to be a grooming mammal. We took pleasure and comfort in spending time with our close ones and grooming them, removing bugs and dirt from them. While we no longer sit and groom each other, we still have this primal part of us that enjoys seeing a human being groomed and finds it satisfying and comforting.
Of course, some of us are disgusted by the idea of puss and gunk and things popping but the majority of the world enjoys these videos and still relive the instincts to clean and groom. But those of us who were considered 'weird' for liking these videos can now take comfort in the fact that it's just our weird mammal brains enjoying these things.
