Social Rejection Hurts Brain Function

Researchers have found that being socially excluded causes notceable changes in the brain.

Using magnetoencephalography (MEG), they monitored 30 subjects' brain activity. After completing a personality inventory half were told their answers indicated they were likely to end up alone later in life. Subjects were then given a simple math test.

Results of the MEG showed marked differences in brain activity between the two groups. Those who were made to feel socially excluded also performed considerably poorer on the math test. Two of the regions where differences in brain activity were noted were the parietal and prefrontal cortex which are responsible for attention and "executive functioning" respectively, likely accounting for this difference.

The research will appear in this month's edition of Social Neuroscience.

Read more: Social exclusion changes brain function and can lead to poor decision-making