Why do people applaud themselves?

Must be awful to perform to blank faces and tumbleweed. I'ld rather get whoops and signs of enjoyment from the audience if I was on stage.

If you dont wanna get involved why go? Stay home and listen to a CD in stillness and silence

The blank faced mannequins are the rude audence members in my opinion and also according to many performers

Clapping yes but not for yourself. It's not a sign of being miserable Notanan but rather modest and polite.

It's a game show not church!
You're supposed to want to win and get excited when you do!

I feel embarrassed for performers when they get nothing back from a (usually British) audience!

I once saw an overseas performer who at the end said "Britain, you've been the "nicest" audience, I don't mean that in a good way"

DH and I went to bog standard schools.

A friend who has had a 'privileged' education and upbringing explained that he, along with his peers, had been encouraged to think of himself as being capable and entitled to have success.

He suggested that we should try to have that same attitude.

I was brought up to believe that only monkeys clapped themselves but nowadays most people join in applauding themselves.

We went to a Michael Buble concert recently and four very drunk youngish (old enough to know better!) women sat in front of us and started yip yipping as soon as they sat down before the concert had even started. During the show they carried on yip yip yipping and with their conversations, making no attempt to lower their voices. Eventually I asked them politely to be a bit quieter and got a two finger salute for my trouble.

From the conversation they went regularly to shows and concerts but they ruined my special treat. Then just to cap it off MB congratulated the audience for being so “lively” as he expected the British to be dull and boring! Won’t be wasting our hard earned cash on him again! Will stick with the other MB who is a true professional.

I see the whooping, screaming and jumping more as exhibitionism as opposed to someone expressing themselves by clapping in appreciation. A bit too OTT for me.

The first time I saw it was at a concert by Russian performers - they all stood and clapped when we clapped at the end. I thought it was lovely ! I see it a lot now and I like it - it's just everyone showing appreciation for each other.

Clapping yes but not for yourself. It's not a sign of being miserable Notanan but
rather modest and polite.

Notanan2, that was pretty much my grandfather’s philosophy. If you’re enjoying yourself, it can’t be doing you any good!

Oh no people being expressive and enjoying themselves, how ghastly

I suspect, if it's widespread, they've been told to do it by the telly people, who manipulate contestants like you wouldn't believe!

I always thought it odd when Rusian leaders used to applaud themselves too.

Oh. I obviously should have read the post above.

I should imagine they're told what to do.
Very little seems to be spontaneous on quiz shows.

A friend of mine went on a quiz show and they were told they had to clap!

It reminds me of Soviet leaders in the old days of the Soviet Union applauding themselves at those great military demonstrations - row upon row of tanks and rockets in Red Square.

I think it's just people who aren't used to being in a TV studio hearing clapping and joining in.

It does look odd, but I don't think it's necessarily boastfulness - more embarrassment.

Grannyknot is right in that there are cultural differences. Game shows often seem to be American in theme. I went to a wedding where the bride was Japanese - and never smiled once as it's considered impolite in public. She looked so miserable to me!

Sea lions

Me, too, Grammaretto and Kalu. Welsh chapel background here and ‘showing off’ was the worst sin you could possibly commit as a child.

Clapping yourself annoys me. They always do it on the Graham Norton Show at the end. As others have said it just looks so wrong so I admire anyone who stops when their name is mentioned and doesn't clap themselves!

That’s the upbringing that has moulded us both Grammaretto. Good manners, respectful and.......stop showing off?. Heard it more than once?

I think in our day, it was considered wrong to appear boastful or pleased with yourself. It was left to others to praise you, appearing full of yourself was a definite no no. Unlike nowadays, when you are encouraged to boost yourself up at every touch and turn.
At a job interview once, I was asked to talk about something about myself of which I was ‘particularly proud’. Couldn’t think of anything, didn’t get the job!

Yes where has it come from?. Punching the air too.
It's all self congratulatory. What happened to Modesty?

I went to a Presbyterian Sunday School Kalu and disapprove of this too.

I can still hear my dad telling me, when I was about six, that we shouldn't clap ourselves.
That has stuck with me ever since, and I still can't get used to seeing it so often.

There are a lot of things that people do now that I don't think they did when I was a child (in the 60s). If I had jumped up and down and screamed loudly / uncontrollably with excitement, as seems to be the norm now, I think my parents would have sought medical help for me!

I’ve never figured this out either. ?

Being a Calvinist child....self congratulation or any display of attempting to be a tall poppy was a definite no, no!