As clever as human beings are, we can’t just do without social groups, they are so paramount for our survival. Ever read the story “The Man without a Country”? A story about a soldier who was sentenced to live the rest of his life in isolation. I couldn’t stop pondering on the ordeal of the young man while imagining the mental torture he went through.
The pain of rejection, also referred to as Ostracism, is an invisible abuse that makes one shed tears in silent. [Check Why Ostracism Hurts] Animals abandons the weakest to ensure the survival of the fittest, even as humans exclude the bad to strengthen their group, as a form of punishment. Researchers found out that being at the receiving end of social rejection causes emotional problem.
“Coping with rejection requires psychological resources,” says Kipling D. Williams, Purdue University psychologist.
Williams notes these two ways to handle the pain in the brain: