Social Exclusion and Its Impact on Feelings of Physical Vulnerability

This study examined the relationship between feelings of social exclusion and physical vulnerability. While the emotional consequences of social exclusion are well-known, the physical implications of social exclusion are relatively unstudied, although some existing research provides indirect support for a link. The current study manipulated social exclusion and measured its effects on perceived susceptibility to various physical and non-physical threats relative to various control conditions. Findings showed that reliving a social exclusion experience had a similar effect on perceptions of physical vulnerability as reliving physical pain, both increasing perceptions of vulnerability more than either the neutral or social acceptance conditions. Discussion centers on future directions, such as studying this phenomenon in reverse, and implications, such as developing new coping strategies