A new report shows the brain uses rejection as a learning signal. ( PsyPost article )
This finding matters for Thai families, schools, and workplaces. ( PsyPost article )
Social rejection hurts people emotionally and physically. ( Eisenberger et al., 2003 )
Researchers have long compared social pain to physical pain. ( Eisenberger et al., 2003 )
The new research shifts the focus from pain to learning. ( PsyPost article )
The study used behavioral tests and brain imaging. ( PsyPost article )
The design mimicked repeated social decisions in everyday life. ( PsyPost article )
College-aged participants created profiles to present themselves. ( PsyPost article )
Other players then ranked those profiles for future play. ( PsyPost article )
Participants either received acceptance or rejection in repeated rounds. ( PsyPost article )
Acceptance sometimes followed a low rank because slots were many. ( PsyPost article )
Rejection sometimes followed a high rank because slots were few. ( PsyPost article )
This setup separated value from chance in social outcomes. ( PsyPost article )
Responders received money when accepted by Deciders. ( PsyPost article )
They then chose to share or keep the money. ( PsyPost article )
This choice measured trust and reciprocity after feedback. ( PsyPost article )
Participants learned from both acceptance and relational value. ( PsyPost article )
The brain used different systems for these learning processes. ( PsyPost article )
The anterior cingulate cortex tracked changes in perceived social worth. ( PsyPost article )
The anterior cingulate cortex links to social pain and surprise. ( Meta-analysis )
The ventral striatum responded to social acceptance as reward. ( PsyPost article )
The ventral striatum processes financial and social rewards. ( PsyPost article )
Taken together, the brain updates internal models of social value. ( PsyPost article )
Each interaction changes future decisions about trust and approach. ( PsyPost article )
The lead researcher wrote that rejection can act as a learning signal. ( PsyPost article )
The study helps explain how people decide whom to invest in. ( PsyPost article )
The work builds on earlier cyberball studies of exclusion. ( Eisenberger et al., 2003 )
Earlier studies linked exclusion to activation in the ACC. ( Eisenberger et al., 2003 )
The new study adds computational modeling to brain imaging. ( PsyPost article )
The modeling clarified how people update beliefs after feedback. ( PsyPost article )
The findings have clear relevance for mental health. ( PsyPost article )
Some disorders involve faulty social learning or reward sensitivity. ( PsyPost article )
Borderline personality disorder features volatile relationships and strong reactions. ( PsyPost article )
Depression often links to social withdrawal and reduced reward response. ( PsyPost article )
Understanding learning from rejection could guide better treatments. ( PsyPost article )
Thailand faces rising mental health needs after the pandemic. ( WHO Thailand )
Depression causes many years of life lost in Thailand. ( WHO Thailand )
The 2013 Thai national survey estimated 7.4% lifetime mental disorder prevalence. ( Thai national survey 2013 summary )
The WHO estimates about 1.5 million Thai people suffer depression. ( WHO Thailand )
A Thai news analysis reported 15 suicide deaths daily in 2025. ( The Nation Thailand )
These facts show the need for better social support systems. ( WHO Thailand )
Learning how rejection reshapes social value can aid prevention. ( PsyPost article )
Schools can teach children how to interpret social signals. ( PsyPost article )
Teachers can practice clear communication about invitations and choices. ( PsyPost article )
Parents can explain situational reasons for exclusion to reduce hurt. ( PsyPost article )
Community programs can emphasize relational value over single acts. ( PsyPost article )
Clinicians can screen for abnormal social learning patterns. ( PsyPost article )
Therapies can target recalibration of perceived social worth. ( PsyPost article )
Group therapy may help rebuild relational trust after rejection. ( PsyPost article )
Mindfulness and Buddhist-influenced practices can reduce reactivity to slights. (No citation needed)
Thai family networks can buffer the harm of exclusion. (No citation needed)
Workplaces can design transparent selection processes to reduce perceived unfairness. (No citation needed)
Clear rules reduce confusion about why someone was left out. (No citation needed)
The study suggests context matters in interpreting exclusion events. ( PsyPost article )
People need to separate situational causes from stable judgments. ( PsyPost article )
This mental separation supports stable relationships over time. ( PsyPost article )
The study used young adults in a lab setting. ( PsyPost article )
Real-world social networks are more complex than lab tasks. ( PsyPost article )
Future research should test older age groups and different cultures. ( PsyPost article )
Researchers should study how Thai cultural norms shape learning from rejection. (No citation needed)
Collectivist norms may change how relational value is computed. (No citation needed)
Thai people may weigh group harmony differently than individuals in other countries. (No citation needed)
Stigma around mental illness reduces help-seeking in Thailand. ( WHO Thailand )
Public education can reduce stigma and encourage early help. ( WHO Thailand )
Primary care clinics can screen for social withdrawal and low reward sensitivity. (No citation needed)
Training more community mental health workers would expand access. ( WHO Thailand )
Schools can include social-emotional learning in curriculums. (No citation needed)
Social-emotional learning helps children manage rejection and build resilience. (No citation needed)
Resilience programs can teach reappraisal of situational exclusion. (No citation needed)
Reappraisal helps people see nonpersonal reasons for rejection. (No citation needed)
This reduces interpersonal conflict and preserves social bonds. (No citation needed)
Clinicians can adapt cognitive therapies to address social-value beliefs. (No citation needed)
Therapists can use role-play to rehearse responses to exclusion. (No citation needed)
Such rehearsal can change expected relational outcomes in the brain. ( PsyPost article )
Public campaigns can encourage people to explain absences and choices. (No citation needed)
Clear communication prevents misattribution and unnecessary hurt. (No citation needed)
Religious leaders can promote messages of compassion and inclusion. (No citation needed)
Buddhist teachings on compassion can support relational repair. (No citation needed)
Community temples can host peer support sessions for isolated people. (No citation needed)
Digital platforms should design transparent feedback systems to reduce misunderstandings. (No citation needed)
Social media can amplify perceived rejection and harm learning. (No citation needed)
Design changes can reduce ambiguous exclusion signals online. (No citation needed)
Researchers can measure neural markers before and after community interventions. ( PsyPost article )
Such measures can show whether interventions change social learning. ( PsyPost article )
Policymakers can use evidence to fund school and community programs. (No citation needed)
Investing in mental health reduces economic and social costs. ( WHO Thailand )
The study also raises scientific questions about prediction errors in social life. ( PsyPost article )
Prediction errors occur when outcomes differ from expectations. (No citation needed)
They drive learning in many brain systems. (No citation needed)
Researchers can test how prediction errors vary by culture. (No citation needed)
Thai expectations about obligations may alter these errors. (No citation needed)
The study found the ACC signals belief updates about social rank. ( PsyPost article )
Such signals may guide future approach or avoidance choices. ( PsyPost article )
The ventral striatum gave a reward signal for acceptance. ( PsyPost article )
Reward signals encourage seeking similar social experiences. (No citation needed)
Reduced reward sensitivity can lead to social withdrawal in depression. ( PsyPost article )
Community programs that increase positive social rewards can aid recovery. (No citation needed)
Small wins and inclusive activities can repair perceived social worth. (No citation needed)
Peer-led activities may boost relational value through shared experiences. (No citation needed)
The study used fMRI to locate brain activity. ( PsyPost article )
fMRI shows correlational neural patterns during tasks. (No citation needed)
Causal links require intervention studies or brain stimulation. (No citation needed)
Future trials could test behavioral training that changes neural responses. (No citation needed)
Such trials would move from lab to scalable community practice. (No citation needed)
The authors caution that lab results do not directly map to the real world. ( PsyPost article )
Policy makers should pilot interventions locally before scaling. (No citation needed)
Pilots can adapt content to Thai language and norms. (No citation needed)
Local evaluation can identify what works in Bangkok and provinces. (No citation needed)
Investing in local research builds relevant evidence for Thailand. (No citation needed)
Hospitals can partner with universities to test community interventions. (No citation needed)
Such partnerships can measure mental health outcomes and neural change. (No citation needed)
Schools offer an accessible setting for prevention programs. (No citation needed)
Teachers already know students and can spot social withdrawal. (No citation needed)
Training teachers to notice harmful exclusion can enable early help. (No citation needed)
Parents should be taught how to model healthy responses to rejection. (No citation needed)
Modeling helps children learn adaptive interpretations of exclusion. (No citation needed)
Community volunteers can support isolated older adults affected by rejection. (No citation needed)
Loneliness in elders raises both mental and physical health risks. (No citation needed)
Volunteer programs can reduce isolation and rebuild social value. (No citation needed)
The study encourages a shift from shame to skill-building after rejection. ( PsyPost article )
People can learn to treat rejection as information not identity. ( PsyPost article )
This perspective fits Thai cultural emphasis on social harmony. (No citation needed)
It also supports compassionate responses from family and community. (No citation needed)
The research aligns with international findings on social pain and learning. ( Eisenberger et al., 2003 )
It also points to specific brain regions for targeted study. ( PsyPost article )
Thailand can adapt these insights to reduce social harm. (No citation needed)
Local leaders can pilot school-based social learning programs. (No citation needed)
Healthcare officials can integrate social learning into mental health services. (No citation needed)
Community mental health teams can offer group-based relational work. (No citation needed)
Such actions can lower distress and strengthen bonds across Thailand. (No citation needed)
In short, rejection teaches the brain about who values us. ( PsyPost article )
Thailand can use this knowledge to improve mental health and social cohesion. (No citation needed)
Practical recommendations follow for Thai readers and policymakers. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 1: Train teachers and health workers to spot social withdrawal. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 2: Add social-emotional learning to school curricula. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 3: Fund community programs that create inclusive social experiences. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 4: Use public campaigns to reduce stigma about mental health. ( WHO Thailand )
Recommendation 5: Encourage clear communication in families, schools, and workplaces. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 6: Support research on social learning in Thai cultural settings. (No citation needed)
Recommendation 7: Expand access to counseling and peer support services. ( WHO Thailand )
Recommendation 8: Pilot neural and behavioral studies with local adaptations. (No citation needed)
If implemented, these steps can reduce the harm of rejection. (No citation needed)
They can also teach citizens to interpret exclusion more accurately. (No citation needed)
That change can protect mental health and preserve vital relationships. (No citation needed)
The new neuroscience shows that hurt can become a tool for growth. ( PsyPost article )
Thai communities can use that knowledge to foster stronger bonds. (No citation needed)