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Cited by 492Death Anxiety and Social ExclusionPain Mechanisms and TreatmentsPsychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

The neural bases of social pain: Evidence for shared representations with physical pain

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Eisenberger, Naomi I.·2012·Psychosomatic Medicine
DOI 10.1097/psy.0b013e3182464dd1PMC PMC3273616
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Abstract

Experiences of social rejection or loss have been described as some of the most "painful" experiences that we, as humans, face and perhaps for good reason. Because of our prolonged period of immaturity, the social attachment system may have co-opted the pain system, borrowing the pain signal to prevent the detrimental consequences of social separation. This review summarizes a program of research that has explored the idea that experiences of physical pain and social pain rely on shared neural substrates. First, evidence showing that social pain activates pain-related neural regions is reviewed. Then, studies exploring some of the expected consequences of such a physical pain-social pain overlap are summarized. These studies demonstrate that a) individuals who are more sensitive to one kind of pain are also more sensitive to the other and b) factors that increase or decrease one kind of pain alter the other in a similar manner. Finally, what these shared neural substrates mean for our understanding of socially painful experience is discussed.

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Authors
Eisenberger, N. I.
Affiliations
University of California, Los Angeles (US)
Corresponding author
Eisenberger, Naomi I.
ORCID
Eisenberger, Naomi I.
Venue
Psychosomatic Medicine
Publisher
Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)
Published
2012-02
Volume
74
Issue
2
Pages
126-135
ISSN
0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1097/psy.0b013e3182464dd1
PMC
PMC3273616
OpenAlex
W1979503776
Cited by
492
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 30 · 2025: 83 · 2024: 31 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 45 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 47 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 27 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 5
FWCI
2.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH056880, R01MH56880, R21MH066709, R21MH66709-01, R21MH071521, R01MH091352)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Pain Mechanisms and Treatments
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
Keywords
social pain, social rejection, bodily pain, shared neural substrates, social attachment, pain sensitivity, pain modulation
MeSH terms
Brain Mapping, Emotions, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Pain, Polymorphism, Genetic, Rejection, Psychology, Research Design, Social Isolation, Somatosensory Cortex, Receptors, Opioid, mu, Pain Perception

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