Secrets, Smiles, and Shame: The Psychology of Guilty Pleasures
- Dr Paul McCarthy
- Jun 7
- 2 min read
This study by Togans et al. (2025) examined how people feel when they enjoy something that they also feel a little bad or embarrassed about—things often called guilty pleasures (or GPs for short). These could be anything from binge-watching reality TV to eating a whole tub of ice cream or secretly loving a cheesy pop song. Even though people enjoy these things, they can also feel guilt, shame, or embarrassment about them. That mix of good and bad feelings is called emotional ambivalence. The researchers wanted to understand why we feel this way and how it connects to two ideas:
Cognitive dissonance – the mental discomfort we feel when our actions don’t match our beliefs or self-image.
Self-presentation – how we try to look good or protect our image in front of others.
In one study, people were asked to think about a guilty pleasure or their regular morning routine. In two more studies, researchers asked people about their GPs, how those made them feel, and how willing they were to tell different types of people about them. They found that people had both positive emotions (like happiness and amusement) and negative emotions (like guilt and shame) when thinking about guilty pleasures. They also found that people were much less likely to share their guilty pleasures with people they don’t know well—like strangers or grandparents—but more willing to share them with close friends or family. Overall, the study shows that guilty pleasures are emotionally complicated. They make us feel good but also a bit bad, and we're often careful about who we share them with because we want to manage how others see us.
Togans, L. J., & McConnell, A. R. (2025). How Should I Feel About This? Investigating the Emotions and Processes Involved in Indulging in Guilty Pleasures. Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, , 1461672251327440. https://lnkd.in/e6z6cj4D
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