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Why does being excluded make you feel as painful as being pricked by a needle? In-depth analysis of the mystery of psychology!
Social rejection is a profoundly impactful experience in a social setting that leaves deep marks on an individual's psyche. Whether it's peer rejection, ostracism in a romantic relationship, or estrangement in the family, ostracism can cause individuals to experience emotional pain in extremely realistic ways, and its impact cannot be underestimated. When people experience ostracism, the feeling is often compared to a pinprick-like pain, leading many people to wonder what the source of this feeling is.
"The feeling of rejection can lead to various psychological consequences such as loneliness, low self-esteem, aggression, and even depression."
Social rejection is a subjective experience, and someone may perceive exclusion even if they are not actually being excluded. Sociologists and psychologists such as Maslow pointed out that the human need for love and belonging is one of the basic drives. This means that when individuals feel socially excluded, their psychological needs are greatly threatened.
The importance of social needs
For humans, social connection is not only an emotional need, but also needs to be maintained through stable and satisfying interpersonal relationships. When one of these relationships is lost, even for a moment, isolation can be incredibly painful and lonely. This coincides with the natural social instinct of human beings, because the establishment and maintenance of interpersonal relationships is the key to human evolution.
"Rejection can be seen as a challenge to identity, which makes many people feel anxious and uneasy."
Youth and Exclusion
Especially when teenagers face peer rejection, the emotional impact is particularly obvious. Psychological research shows that children who are rejected by their peers tend to display lower altruistic behavior and higher aggressive behavior. If these children do not receive good social experiences from an early age, they may face greater psychological challenges when they grow up, such as social anxiety or depression.
Experimental and research findings
Researchers have found in different social psychological experiments that even short-term social exclusion can trigger strong negative emotions. Across a range of polls and social interactions, excluded people showed higher levels of aggression and lower willingness to cooperate. Some experiments have also shown that when a person experiences rejection, certain areas of their brain, such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), are activated, similar to pain experienced by the body.
"Research shows that when people face social rejection, their brain activity is similar to the process of processing physical pain."
Thinking about the consequences of exclusion
A strong desire to avoid social rejection often causes people to feel extremely stressed about future social situations. This leads to a cycle effect, in which rejection reduces the individual's social ability, and repeated social failure further contributes to the individual's isolation. Faced with this phenomenon, most people will try to give themselves a higher sense of self-esteem and social value to alleviate the psychological pain they endure. However, these self-salvation behaviors are not always as effective as expected.
Solution and Support
For those who are socially excluded, social skills training and psychological counseling become important means of support. Several studies have found that such interventions are significantly effective in enhancing social skills and rebuilding self-esteem. Despite this, the impact of continued social exclusion will not disappear in a short time, and psychological support for these individuals should continue.
Facing the challenges of the future
Facing the challenge of social exclusion and rejection, we not only need to recognize the impact of this situation on the soul, but also think about how to respond and support more effectively. Social security and spiritual resilience are particularly important in this process. How to examine one's own value and find positive social opportunities in such a situation is a question worth pondering for everyone?
