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2011-03-29 09:23:23
By Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer Mon Mar 28, 5:48 pm ET
WASHINGTON The pain of rejection is more than just a figure of speech.
The regions of the brain that respond to physical pain overlap with those that
react to social rejection, according to a new study that used brain imaging on
people involved in romantic breakups.
"These results give new meaning to the idea that rejection `hurts,'" wrote
psychology professor Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and his
colleagues. Their findings are reported in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences.
Co-author Edward Smith of Columbia University explained that the research shows
that psychological or social events can affect regions of the brain that
scientists thought were dedicated to physical pain.
In a way, we're saying "it's not a metaphor," Smith said in a telephone
interview.
The study involved 40 volunteers who went through an unwanted romantic break-up
in the previous six months and who said thinking about the break-up caused them
to feel intensely rejected.
Functional MRI's were used to study their brains in four situations: When
viewing a photo of the ex-partner and thinking about the break-up; when viewing
a photo of a friend and thinking of a positive experience with that person;
when a device placed on their arm produced a gentle, comforting warmth, and
when that device became hot enough to cause pain, though not physical damage.
The two negative situations thinking about the loss of a partner and the burn
caused response in the overlapping parts of the brain, the study found.
Previous studies had not shown a relationship between physical and emotional
pain, but those had used a less dramatic event, such as simply being told
someone doesn't like you, Smith said.
In this case, the volunteers were people who had actually been rejected and
were still feeling it, he said.
There is evidence that emotional stress, such as the loss of a loved one, can
affect people physically, and Smith said studies like this may help researchers
devise ways to aid people who are sensitive to loss or rejection.
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Online: http://www.pnas.org