Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A April 2011 PMID 21444827

Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain.

Ethan Kross, Marc G Berman, Walter Mischel, Edward E Smith, Tor D Wager

Mentions

279
Peak: 4 in May 2025
across 6 sources since Jun 2019

Extended reach

128,386
potential audience

Total likes

283

Video views

3,794

Mentions per month

Jun 2019 – Sep 2025

Where it's discussed

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AI synopsis

What people are saying

The overall discourse reflects a recognition of the significance of recent research demonstrating that social rejection activates brain regions associated with physical pain. Many discussions emphasize the scientific basis, such as mentions of fMRI and specific brain areas, highlighting the perceived importance of understanding social pain's somatosensory aspects. Words like 'share,' 'similar,' and 'physically experience' convey a tone of validation and fascination, while references to personal reactions and implications reveal an engaged and thoughtful stance toward the study's implications.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most posts acknowledge the scientific findings, with some explicitly affirming the similarity between social rejection and physical pain, citing the study or referencing the shared somatosensory brain regions.

InterestHigh interest

The discussion demonstrates high curiosity, with posts exploring the emotional and physiological effects of social rejection and mirroring recent scientific work, indicating relevance and intrigue.

EngagementHigh engagement

Several posts delve into details about how social rejection activates pain-related brain areas or relate the findings to personal experiences, showing deep interest rather than superficial acknowledgment.

ImpactModerate impact

The emphasis on scientific evidence and potential for increased empathy suggests that users perceive these findings as meaningful, possibly influencing how we understand social and emotional experiences.

Abstract in brief

  • The study explores how social rejection, like physical pain, activates similar brain regions, especially in response to feelings of being rejected after a breakup.
  • Using fMRI, researchers found that areas related to the sensory aspects of physical pain (such as the secondary somatosensory cortex and dorsal posterior insula) also light up during social rejection.
  • These brain activation patterns are specific to physical pain and are highly predictive, indicating that social rejection causes a physical pain-like experience in the brain.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Mear
@justmearr · X

دراسة جامعة ميشيغان – 2011 Social rejection shares somatosensory" "representations with physical pain المشاركون خاضوا تجربة مشاهدة صور شركائهم السابقين الذين انفصلوا عنهم، مما أثار مشاعر "الرفض " خلال التجربة، خضعوا لتصوير بالرنين المغناطيسي الوظيفي (fMRI)

May 11, 2025 · 68 likes · 4 shares · 4,692 followers View post →
Mal
@m_ash7 · X

Being ignored or “ghosted” causes the same natural chemical reaction in the brain as being physically hit. It literally takes two seconds to be honest w/ someone :) https://t.co/jHgTuUtRTc https://t.co/f7XqBaJ5w2

Mar 17, 2022 · 15 likes · 1 share · 543 followers View post →
Mª José Mas Salguero
@MasTwitts · X

duele. ¡Vaya si duele! En el cerebro del abandonado el área tegmental ventral, el pálido ventral y el putamen, implicadas en el sentimiento de incertidumbre, cambian

Feb 14, 2021 · 12 likes · 1 share · 34,590 followers View post →
Love
@CaribbeanSpyce · X

“... findings [show] social rejection and physical pain are similar not only in that they are both distressing, they share a common representation in somatosensory brain systems as well.” Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain: Ethan Kross, etal

Mar 4, 2021 · 11 likes · 2,415 followers View post →
KOJI@プライマルコーチ
@kojija · X

【心の傷はカラダの傷】 高校時代、ルームメートが彼女にふられて ”it hurts”と言いながら胸を押さえていた 痛いわけないだろう、と意味がわからなかった 心とカラダの痛みは同じ脳部位で発火する 心理ストレスと身体ストレスは区別がつかないんだ https://t.co/yfIGlTjqoq https://t.co/Bx2vJS1NDS

Aug 16, 2022 · 7 likes · 1 share · 2,311 followers View post →
Nava Notes
@navanotes · X

El cerebro procesa el rechazo social en la misma región que procesa el dolor físico. Por eso, cuando alguien dice que "le duele" una ruptura amorosa, no es una metáfora: el cerebro literalmente experimenta dolor real. https://t.co/Y3phjPa5B0

Jan 15, 2025 · 4 likes · 10,766 followers View post →

All mentions

Anti MedX
@DrPsiquiatraMx · X

"(social) rejection and physical pain are similar not only in that they are both distressing—they share a common somatosensory representation as well" https://t.co/YItnXhANoK

Jul 3, 2025 · 858 followers View post →
The Perks Of Being Hamosa
@HForHamosa · X

RT @justmearr: دراسة جامعة ميشيغان – 2011 Social rejection shares somatosensory" "representations with physical pain المشاركون خاضوا تجرب…

May 11, 2025 · 4 shares · 2,707 followers View post →
Manaeer
@Manaeer19 · X

RT @justmearr: دراسة جامعة ميشيغان – 2011 Social rejection shares somatosensory" "representations with physical pain المشاركون خاضوا تجرب…

May 11, 2025 · 4 shares · 228 followers View post →
Mear
@justmearr · X

دراسة جامعة ميشيغان – 2011 Social rejection shares somatosensory" "representations with physical pain المشاركون خاضوا تجربة مشاهدة صور شركائهم السابقين الذين انفصلوا عنهم، مما أثار مشاعر "الرفض " خلال التجربة، خضعوا لتصوير بالرنين المغناطيسي الوظيفي (fMRI)

May 11, 2025 · 68 likes · 4 shares · 4,692 followers View post →
Nadia
@Wind_Catcher_ · X

@SLAP_355gr @meshka88 Here’s one. https://t.co/HIbLX7NQkP

Apr 22, 2025 · 1 like · 3,128 followers View post →
☺︎
@shelleddiva · X

@guiltiestofsin extremely loud incorrect buzzer https://t.co/RFpoHrxsm7

Apr 19, 2025 · 146 followers View post →
Nava Notes
@navanotes · X

El cerebro procesa el rechazo social en la misma región que procesa el dolor físico. Por eso, cuando alguien dice que "le duele" una ruptura amorosa, no es una metáfora: el cerebro literalmente experimenta dolor real. https://t.co/Y3phjPa5B0

Jan 15, 2025 · 4 likes · 10,766 followers View post →
Troy ounce
@amirhmohamadi94 · X

@pozitron5257 @OmidAmanii https://t.co/DKCEha3qbj

Nov 13, 2023 · 1 like · 33 followers View post →
Simon
@Simon95836777 · X

@gdeichen Model of suicidal behaviour https://t.co/3o0rwxEtMr Research on rejection processed as pain: https://t.co/xMf1c0qPR1

Jun 21, 2023 · 1 like · 49 followers View post →
カイロプラクティックそのまんまサンシャイン
@sonomanma3 · X

社会的拒絶(痛い奴になっちゃっと時)と身体の痛みを感じる脳領域の重なり。 #痛み #拒絶 https://t.co/GxH4w4cgd0

May 26, 2023 · 282 followers View post →
Ms Banani
@LusciousLani · X

@RenHavingFun @URlamintations @jarichaust @AnnaSova17 @HakunaMatt_tata @kattenbarge What do you think emotional pain is? It’s your body firing off chemical electrical signals that tell you that you are taking damage. https://t.co/ROJb1hnhMq “somatosensory” - physical sensations (including touch, spatial awareness, heat/cold.

Apr 28, 2023 · 4,250 followers View post →
五十嵐剛志
@Take_Iga · X

社会的拒絶は肉体的な痛みに匹敵する深刻な影響を与える可能性がある。 https://t.co/GskXlnDs8w https://t.co/bSK31DnNsk

Apr 8, 2023 · 3 likes · 11,358 followers View post →
Pierre Escargot
@Sammxney · X

@GS_Maxxx Must be hard having to ignore factual evidence to suit yourself all the time. https://t.co/9BnkUJ7ifu

Mar 19, 2023 · 606 followers View post →
Muscle Man
@WaleedMls · X

RT @FahdAlMulla: #love #separation #psychology When you fall in love, there is a natural outpouring of hormones like #Dopamine and Oxytoci…

Feb 5, 2023 · 1 share · 1,074 followers View post →
Fahd Al-Mulla
@FahdAlMulla · X

#love #separation #psychology When you fall in love, there is a natural outpouring of hormones like #Dopamine and Oxytocin (feel-good hormones). When you fall out of love their levels drop and the stress hormone cortisol all causing the physical pain. https://t.co/uSTf816M3C

Feb 5, 2023 · 4 likes · 1 share · 1,338 followers View post →
Thanos Kontos
@thakontos · X

How similar are the experiences of social rejection and physical pain? Powerful elicit of rejection stimulates same brain regions as physical pain https://t.co/pdLy5Yj6mW https://t.co/wXwPHoXwhW

Sep 29, 2022 · 1 like · 41 followers View post →
KOJI@プライマルコーチ
@kojija · X

【心の傷はカラダの傷】 高校時代、ルームメートが彼女にふられて ”it hurts”と言いながら胸を押さえていた 痛いわけないだろう、と意味がわからなかった 心とカラダの痛みは同じ脳部位で発火する 心理ストレスと身体ストレスは区別がつかないんだ https://t.co/yfIGlTjqoq https://t.co/Bx2vJS1NDS

Aug 16, 2022 · 7 likes · 1 share · 2,311 followers View post →
kjkw
@kkling51 · X

社会的な拒絶は物理的な痛みと体性知覚が同じという話はいじめやハラスメントがそれだけ深刻であるという形で応用できるかな? しかし,元恋人の顔写真を見せて精神的にいたぶるという実験をよくできたな.別れたばっかりで落ち込んでいる被験者集めたんだろうけど. https://t.co/zN5JDEgQ1X

Aug 14, 2022 · 2,117 followers View post →
اَفَ
@afa_aspaanna · X

داشته باشد لازم است قبل از هر چیزی ما زخم‌های روان‌شناختی خود را بشناسیم و اختصاصی عمل کنیم https://t.co/A1lkqR5imX https://t.co/pTaO51JyCI https://t.co/hO40oGZiq2 https://t.co/6zwSmndMkn

Jun 16, 2022 · 1 like · 149 followers View post →
✨
@fkaindigo · X

RT @m_ash7: Being ignored or “ghosted” causes the same natural chemical reaction in the brain as being physically hit. It literally takes t…

Mar 17, 2022 · 1 share · 423 followers View post →
Mal
@m_ash7 · X

Being ignored or “ghosted” causes the same natural chemical reaction in the brain as being physically hit. It literally takes two seconds to be honest w/ someone :) https://t.co/jHgTuUtRTc https://t.co/f7XqBaJ5w2

Mar 17, 2022 · 15 likes · 1 share · 543 followers View post →
bobbi :)
@mo_gardiner · X

had dad try to read an article I had to present in my social psych course about how social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain and I think it broke his brain

Feb 10, 2022 · 1,168 followers View post →
Karin Maria Hodges
@KarinMariaPsyD · X

https://t.co/0LMzultZmi

Dec 13, 2021 · 929 followers View post →
Alfa
@asnvrn · X

Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain (Kross, Berman, Mischel et al., 2011). https://t.co/DI8h66LTwz

Jul 4, 2021 · 237 followers View post →
fkarina
@fkarina · X

ga lebay sih tapi emang penolakan sosial bisa menyebabkan sakit fisik juga. mangkanya menurut ku lebih baik kalo merasa enggak cocok dibicarakan dengan baik-baik dengan alasan yang jelas. referensi --> doi : 10.1073/ pnas.1102693108.

Apr 9, 2021 · 14,181 followers View post →
Angel García
@AngelGarcia74 · X

Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain https://t.co/dWr3UTF7Ef https://t.co/fy1RcKm6sM

Mar 6, 2021 · 1,097 followers View post →
Love
@CaribbeanSpyce · X

“... findings [show] social rejection and physical pain are similar not only in that they are both distressing, they share a common representation in somatosensory brain systems as well.” Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain: Ethan Kross, etal

Mar 4, 2021 · 11 likes · 2,415 followers View post →
Miguel Angel Ruiz
@Mars_777 · X

RT @MasTwitts: duele. ¡Vaya si duele! En el cerebro del abandonado el área tegmental ventral, el pálido ventral y el putamen, implicadas…

Feb 15, 2021 · 1 share · 2,615 followers View post →
Mª José Mas Salguero
@MasTwitts · X

duele. ¡Vaya si duele! En el cerebro del abandonado el área tegmental ventral, el pálido ventral y el putamen, implicadas en el sentimiento de incertidumbre, cambian

Feb 14, 2021 · 12 likes · 1 share · 34,590 followers View post →
Dr. Stephen Grinstead - Life-Long Democrat - USMC
@drgrinstead · X

Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain https://t.co/850MYnWLA3 I'm an advocate ate for including family and friends in chronic pain management. . https://t.co/VoUNqiWoxd

Feb 22, 2020 · 9,958 followers View post →
Dr. Stephen Grinstead - Life-Long Democrat - USMC
@drgrinstead · X

Social rejection shares somatosensory representations with physical pain https://t.co/850MYnWLA3

Feb 22, 2020 · 9,958 followers View post →
Aurema Otero
@Aurema_Otero · X

Quizás con evidencia científica la gente pueda tener más empatía y comprender a otras personas https://t.co/MFWSqtzAo9 open access: https://t.co/sA5gG8uzAX https://t.co/bievwRb5C6 open access: https://t.co/MMcyQgkPKT

Jun 28, 2019 · 310 followers View post →