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Cited by 1,712Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionBullying, Victimization, and AggressionNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Why Does Social Exclusion Hurt? The Relationship Between Social and Physical Pain.

MacDonald, Geoff, Leary, Mark R.·2005·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.131.2.202
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Abstract

The authors forward the hypothesis that social exclusion is experienced as painful because reactions to rejection are mediated by aspects of the physical pain system. The authors begin by presenting the theory that overlap between social and physical pain was an evolutionary development to aid social animals in responding to threats to inclusion. The authors then review evidence showing that humans demonstrate convergence between the 2 types of pain in thought, emotion, and behavior, and demonstrate, primarily through nonhuman animal research, that social and physical pain share common physiological mechanisms. Finally, the authors explore the implications of social pain theory for rejection-elicited aggression and physical pain disorders.

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Crossref · 10.1037/0033-2909.131.2.202

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271 of 271 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • A network of brain regions that support the affective but not the sensory components of physical pain underlies both social rejection and physical pain.

    “The consensus that has emerged is that a network of brain regions that support the aversive quality of physical pain (the ' affective ' component), principally the dorsal anterior cingulate (dACC) and anterior insula (AI), also underlie the feeling of social rejection.”

    From Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain (2011) · cites this paper as [1]

  • Current theorizing suggests that the brain systems underlying social rejection developed by coopting brain circuits that support the affective component of physical pain.

    “Current theorizing suggests that the brain systems that underlie social rejection developed by coopting brain circuits that support the affective component of physical pain (1, 2, 9).”

    From Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain (2011) · cites this paper as [1]

  • Cultures around the world use the same language-words like 'hurt' and 'pain'-to describe both social rejection and physical pain.

    “However, cultures around the world use the same language -words like ' hurt ' and ' pain '-to describe both experiences (1), raising the question: How similar are social rejection and physical pain?”

    From Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain (2011) · cites this paper as [1]

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Related

Authors
MacDonald, G., & Leary, M. R.
Affiliations
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Wake Forest University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2005-03
Volume
131
Issue
2
Pages
202-223
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/0033-2909.131.2.202
OpenAlex
W2170436315
Semantic Scholar
0e711c40ec38b531215de3ed80a26fe08eb7d0f6
Cited by
1,712
References
272
Citations by year
2026: 71 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 103 · 2023: 92 · 2022: 102 · 2021: 96 · 2020: 89 · 2019: 87 · 2018: 81 · 2017: 92 · 2016: 79 · 2015: 91 · 2014: 122 · 2013: 103 · 2012: 83
FWCI
4.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
social exclusion, social pain, bodily pain, rejection, evolutionary psychology, aggression, pain disorders
MeSH terms
Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Narcotics, Oxytocin, Pain, Psychological Theory, Social Alienation

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