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The pain of social disconnection: examining the shared neural underpinnings of physical and social pain
Naomi I.Eisenberger
Abstract | Experiences of social rejection, exclusion or loss are generally considered to be some of the most painful experiences that we endure. Indeed, many of us go to great lengths to avoid situations that may engender these experiences (such as public speaking). Why is it that these negative social experiences have such a profound effect on our emotional well-being? Emerging evidence suggests that experiences of social pain the painful feelings associated with social disconnection rely on some of the same neurobiological substrates that underlie experiences of physical pain. Understanding the ways in which physical and social pain overlap may provide new insights into the surprising relationship between these two types of experiences.
a sense of separation is a condition that makes being a mammal so painful. PaulMacLean1
Some of the most distressing experiences that we face involve the dissolution of our closest social bonds. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a situation more upsetting than a relationship break-up or one more devastating than the loss of a loved one. In fact, according to one study, nearly three out of four people listed the loss of a close relationship (for example, through death or a relationship break-up) as the single most negative emotional event of their lives2. Interestingly, some individuals have gone so far as to describe these experiences of social loss or social separation as being painful1. Given the intense emotional consequences of broken social bonds, one may ask why we react so strongly to the loss of our socialties.
Research over the past century, from social psychology to behavioural neuroscience, has demonstrated the importance of social bonds for mammalian well-being and survival35. Early in life, many mammalian infants are completely dependent on caregivers, relying on them exclusively for nourishment, care and protection6. Later on, connections to a social group aid survival through the shared responsibility for food acquisition, predator protection and care for offspring3. Owing to this profound reliance on others, threats to social connection may be just as detrimental to survival as threats to basic physical safety and thus may be processed by some of the same underlying neural circuitry. Specifically, it has been