Amazing Facts – Did You Know Social Rejection Hurts Like Physical Pain?
Social Rejection Hurts Like Physical Pain – Social Rejection Triggers the Same Brain Areas as Physical Pain
Does your stomach sink whenever you are disregarded or left out or ignored by a friend or someone you really cared for? Have you ever felt that sting? It was not “all in your head.” Scientific studies indicate that social rejection actually activates the same neural pathways as real, bodily pain.
It’s pretty crazy, right? So let’s put it in concise and layman’s terms.
The Brain Doesn’t See Much Difference
Researchers from UCLA, and especially the psychologist Naomi Eisenberger, conducted one of the more famous experiments in the early 2000s. Participants were asked to play a game of virtual ball toss while connected to a brain scan. At the initial stages of the game, everything seemed to go well as the players were in the game, but as time passed, the players simply stopped throwing the ball to one person. That one person was left out.
What happened next? The brain scans indicated that the same physical pain territory of the brain was activated, the anterior cingulate cortex and the insula. In other words, the brain’s response to rejection was almost the same response it would give to being hurt.
The answer is, “That hurt,” said as a non sarcastic figure is much simpler than what it is. Only a scientist has a chance of understanding it.
Why Would Our Brains Work Like That?
Evolution gives a clearer answer than a scientist. As it is well known that centuries ago, anything that offered individualistic territory to anyone meant that it was surely a matter of death. A person whose isolation society could offer, was the sheer definition of being unprotected, unstuffed, and unhoused. If someone were to unhinge the societal structure, and embed the rejection social structure, their mind was programmed to respond to anything else with severe pain in order to stay connected with people.
That structure is still in existence till this very day. With small instances of how pain is felt and how much imaginary pain is felt, it is very hard to conceal the fact that social platforms can offer one of the cruelest comments with the edge of being ghosted.
Rejection Hurts More Than We Expect
Apparently hurt does not even last as much as a memory with the social construct of how empowered someone is. What is more baffling is in fact retention of rejection in a world of physical pain. Losing a social barrier in a set of years and gaining it all in seconds appears true. Yet, it is nothing more than a cruel joke.
Do you remember high school? There are people who remember the episodes when they were not part of a guest list or they were teased. Such memories are etched deeply because our minds treat them like open wounds. And just like physical wounds, these too do not have an easy cover. This is one of the xylem rejection psychology facts which is the most deeply understood.
Can Painkillers Help? Strange But True
Here is one of the more bizarre facts. There are studies that have shown even OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) have shown to lessen feelings of social pain. It is not to say that you should take the pain relievers as a first step to social rejection. It just goes on to show how there is an overlap of physical pain and emotional pain as far as our minds are concerned.
These shocking facts regarding rejection illustrate the multitude of complexities the human brain encompasses.
What Can We Do About It?
Social rejection is one of the most potent ways to evoke pain. Fortunately for us, our brains are also designed for repair.Having a chat with someone you feel close to, keeping a diary, or the simple act of hugging someone can help to reduce the effect of pain. This is the social support that serves the healing purpose.
I recall when a very close friend fell silent on me one day. Initially, the feeling was as though my chest had been hit with a stone. It hurt quite a bit for several weeks. The pain wasn’t truly the issue; it was the fact that a very good friend provided support that mattered. It was more than the fact that I was not utterly alone that mattered. It was more support than I had ever imagined.
Final Thought
The sensation of rejection can always be painful, but learning to deal with the sharpness of it makes it a bit more manageable. It isn’t a sign of weakness as it is a life tactic. It is your head doing exactly what it’s supposed to do: process rejection as painful because connection is crucial for survival.
The next time a person disregards your presence, it is worthwhile to note that the ache is real, and there is pain but, more crucially, it will fade.
The fact of the matter is, be gentle with yourself. We all need connection as well.
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