Putting oneself in someone's shoes: The effect of observing ostracism on physical pain, social pain, negative emotion, and self-regulation

Abstract. The neurovisceral integration model proposes that different forms of self-regulation, including the emotional suppression, are characterized by the activation of neural network whose workings are also reflected in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). However, most of the previous studies failed to observe theoretically expected increases in RSA during emotional suppression. Even when such effects were observed, it was not clear whether they resulted from specific task demands, a decrease in muscle activity, or they were the consequence of more specific self-control processes. We investigated the relation between habitual or trait-like suppression, spontaneous, and instructed suppression with changes in RSA during negative emotion experience. A modest positive correlation between spontaneous situational and habitual suppression was observed across two experimental tasks. Furthermore, the results showed greater RSA increase among participants who experienced higher negative affect (NA) increase and reported higher spontaneous suppression than among those with higher NA increase and lower spontaneous suppression. Importantly, this effect was independent from the habitual suppression and observable facial expressions. The results of the additional task based on experimental manipulation, rather than spontaneous use of situational suppression, indicated a similar relation between suppression and RSA. Our results consistently demonstrate that emotional suppression, especially its self-regulation component, is followed by the increase in parasympathetic activity.

Download Full-text

The Physiology of Social Pain

The Oxford Handbook of the Physiology of Interpersonal Communication ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190679446.013.5 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 47-68

Author(s):

Anita L. Vangelisti ◽

Nicholas Brody

Keyword(s):

Physiological Responses ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Physical Pain ◽

Social Pain ◽

Physiological Basis ◽

Future Directions ◽

Social Basis ◽

The Social

Social pain and physical pain have historically been conceptualized as distinct phenomena. Recent research, however, has noted several similarities between the two. The present chapter establishes the physiological basis of social pain. Further, the chapter explores the relational precedents and correlates of social pain. By synthesizing research that explores definitional elements of social pain, the reviewed literature explores the social basis of hurt. The chapter also reviews the extant research that posits similarities in the neural processing of social and physical pain. These similarities are further explained by examining findings that have emphasized parallels between cognitive, behavioral, and physiological responses to both social and physical pain. Shortcomings in the current research are reviewed, and several future directions are offered for researchers interested in the physiology of social pain.

Download Full-text

Acetaminophen Reduces Social Pain

Psychological Science ◽

10.1177/0956797610374741 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 21 (7) ◽

pp. 931-937 ◽

Cited By ~ 250

Author(s):

C. Nathan DeWall ◽

Geoff MacDonald ◽

Gregory D. Webster ◽

Carrie L. Masten ◽

Roy F. Baumeister ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Activity ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Daily Basis ◽

Social Rejection ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

Anterior Cingulate ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Physical Pain ◽

Social Pain ◽

Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex

Pain, whether caused by physical injury or social rejection, is an inevitable part of life. These two types of pain—physical and social—may rely on some of the same behavioral and neural mechanisms that register pain-related affect. To the extent that these pain processes overlap, acetaminophen, a physical pain suppressant that acts through central (rather than peripheral) neural mechanisms, may also reduce behavioral and neural responses to social rejection. In two experiments, participants took acetaminophen or placebo daily for 3 weeks. Doses of acetaminophen reduced reports of social pain on a daily basis (Experiment 1). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure participants’ brain activity (Experiment 2), and found that acetaminophen reduced neural responses to social rejection in brain regions previously associated with distress caused by social pain and the affective component of physical pain (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula). Thus, acetaminophen reduces behavioral and neural responses associated with the pain of social rejection, demonstrating substantial overlap between social and physical pain.

Download Full-text

Imagined future social pain hurts more now than imagined future physical pain

European Journal of Social Psychology ◽

10.1002/ejsp.1861 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 314-317 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Zhansheng Chen ◽

Kipling D. Williams

Keyword(s):

Physical Pain ◽

Social Pain

Download Full-text

A Qualitative Exploration of Individual Differences in Wellbeing for Highly Sensitive Individuals

10.31234/osf.io/dmpxn ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Becky Black ◽

Margaret L. Kern

Keyword(s):

Social Norms ◽

Positive Emotions ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Self Awareness ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Lay Conceptions ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

Qualitative Exploration

Cultures explicitly and implicitly create and reinforce social norms and expectations, which impact upon how individuals make sense of and experience their place within that culture. Substantial differences in research findings across a range of behavioral and cognitive indices can be seen between what have been called ‘Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD)’ societies, and non-WEIRD cultures. Indeed, lay conceptions and social norms around wellbeing tend to emphasize social outgoingness and high-arousal positive emotions, with introversion and negative emotion looked down upon or even pathologized. However, this extravert-centric conception of wellbeing does not fit many individuals who live within WEIRD societies, and studies find that this mismatch can have detrimental effects on their wellbeing. There is a need to better understand how happiness is created and experienced by the large number of people for whom wellbeing manifests in alternative ways. This study investigated one such manifestation – the personality trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS) – qualitatively investigating how sensitive individuals experience and cultivate wellbeing within a WEIRD society. Twelve adults participated in semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that highly sensitive individuals perceive that wellbeing arises from harmony across multiple dimensions. Interviewees emphasized the value of low-intensity positive emotion, self-awareness, self-acceptance, positive social relationships balanced by times of solitude, connecting with nature, contemplative practices, emotional self-regulation, practicing self-compassion, having a sense of meaning, and hope/optimism. Barriers of wellbeing included physical health issues and challenges with saying no to others. This study provides a richer idiographic representation of SPS wellbeing, highlighting diverse pathways which can lead to wellbeing for individuals for whom wellbeing manifests in ways that contradict the broader social narratives in which they reside.

Download Full-text

The Role of Emotion in Self-Regulation: Differing Roles of Positive and Negative Emotion

The Regulation of Emotion ◽

10.4324/9781410610898-16 ◽

2004 ◽

pp. 228-243

Keyword(s):

Negative Emotion ◽

Self Regulation

Download Full-text

No effect of approved fibromyalgia drugs on the social pain (invalidation) contrary to physical pain: an open-label short-term randomized clinical trial

Clinical Rheumatology ◽

10.1007/s10067-021-05890-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Banafsheh Ghavidel-Parsa ◽

Ali Bidari ◽

Ashkan Rahimi ◽

Faeze Gharibpoor ◽

Mohammad-Javad Khosousi

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Randomized Clinical Trial ◽

Physical Pain ◽

Social Pain ◽

Short Term ◽

Open Label ◽

The Social

Download Full-text

Interaction between social pain and physical pain

Brain Science Advances ◽

10.26599/bsa.2019.9050023 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 265-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ming Zhang ◽

Yuqi Zhang ◽

Yazhuo Kong

Keyword(s):

Social Groups ◽

Psychological Distance ◽

Neural Circuitry ◽

Behavioral Performance ◽

Negative Consequences ◽

Physical Pain ◽

Social Pain ◽

Painful Experience ◽

Negative Feelings ◽

The Relationship

People often experience two types of pain: social pain and physical pain. The former is related to psychological distance from other people or social groups, whereas the latter is associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Social pain caused by interpersonal interactions causes negative feelings in individuals and has negative consequences to the same degree as physical pain. Various studies have shown an interaction between social pain and physical pain, not only in behavioral performance but also in activities within shared neural regions. Accordingly, the present paper reviews: (1) the interaction between social pain and physical pain in individuals’ behavioral performances; and (2) the overlap in neural circuitry as regards the processing of social pain and physical pain. Understanding the relationship between social pain and physical pain might provide new insights into the nature of these two types of pain, and thus may further contribute to the treatment of illnesses associated with both types of painful experience.

Download Full-text