Brain treats rejection like physical pain say scientists - Science - News - The Independent

The human brain treats rejection in a similar way to the way it process physical pain, new research has suggested.A scientific study conducted by the University of Michigan Medical School has shown that the brain uses a similar reaction to ease the pain of social rejection as it does to deal with pain caused by physical injury.A team led by Dr David T. Hsu also found that people who showed high levels of resilience on a personality test also had higher levels of natural painkiller activation.When the body experiences physical pain, the brain releases chemical opioids into the empty space between neurons, which "dampens" pain signals.The team asked 18 adults to look at photos and fictitious personal profiles of hundreds of other adults. Each selected some who they might be most interested in romantically, as they would do on a typical online dating website.Afterwards, when the participants were lying in a PET scanner, they were informed that the individuals they found attractive and interesting were not interested in them.Researchers monitored the mu-opioid receptor system in the brain, which the team have been examining for the last decade in response to physical pain.The brain scans of participants who were experiencing this form of social rejection showed highly active opioid systems, meaning the brain was releasing its natural painkiller.Before beginning the study, researchers told participants that the "dating" profiles were not real, and neither was the "reject...
Source: Psychology of Pain - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs