What can exclusion do to a person?

Asked by: Miss Pattie Kris  |  Last update: August 3, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (58 votes)

For example, lower immune function, reduced sleep quality, reduced ability to calm oneself in times of distress, reduced self esteem, feelings of anxiety, depression and aggression have all been observed in children who have been excluded from a peer group (DeWall, Deckman, Pond & Bonser, 2011).

What are the side effects of exclusion?

It may take time to heal from a bad break-up or being fired, but most people eventually get over the pain and hurt feelings of rejection. When people are chronically rejected or excluded, however, the results may be severe. Depression, substance abuse and suicide are not uncommon responses.

What to do when someone purposely excludes you?

6 tips if you think you're being excluded:
  1. 1: Awareness. Bullies know about excluding people. ...
  2. 2: Investigate with care. ...
  3. 3: Hide your upset. ...
  4. 4: Be careful who you confide in. ...
  5. 5: Don't give them excuses. ...
  6. 6: Stay positive.

What does exclusion do to the brain?

Regions such as cingulate cortex (the anterior and posterior parts) and insula are activated, which are related to affects and emotions (Bolling et al., 2011a, Masten et al., 2009). Being excluded, these neural activations appear to represent negative emotions of sadness and distress.

How does social exclusion affect someone?

Social exclusion and isolation are associated with a higher risk of death and poor health; this is regardless of whether a person feels 'lonely'. An extensive review in 2010 found a 50% increased likelihood for survival in those with strong social networks independent of sex, age, initial condition and cause of death.

The Psychological Effects of Feeling Excluded

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What can being excluded do to a person?

Being excluded erodes your sense of identity and self-worth. It's a place that, if not managed with care and love for yourself, can leave you emotionally exhausted, self-doubting and disengaged.

What does isolation do to a person mentally?

Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness

Loneliness is associated with higher anxiety, depression, and suicide rates, as well as physical health outcomes. Links between social isolation and serious medical conditions are not fully understood, but ample evidence supports the connection.

What are the consequences of exclusion?

Exclusion and rejection can occur for a myriad of reasons, and although exclusion may not always be intended to cause psychological harm, experiences of exclusion can have detrimental outcomes in terms of emotional and behavioral health (Buhs & Ladd, 2001; Juvonen et al., 2005; Killen et al., 2008; Killen & Rutland, ...

Why does being excluded hurt so much?

“There's an evolutionary theory that our high sensitivity towards being excluded comes from ancient times, where if you were not part of a group, and did not have access to the hunters and the gatherers, you would die,” she explained. “That's why people are so sensitive in detecting exclusion. It assured survival.”

What does isolation do to the human brain?

PREFRONTAL CORTEX: In some studies, people who are lonely have been found to have reduced brain volumes in the prefrontal cortex, a region important in decision making and social behavior, although other research suggests this relationship might be mediated by personality factors.

Why would someone deliberately exclude you?

The main reasons people exclude others are because of a perceived threat or personality clash. Feeling left out can be distressing, but you can self-soothe by: being kind to yourself. engaging in hobbies.

How to react when people exclude you?

Accept what happened.

Acknowledge feeling of anger and hurt toward whoever excluded you, but try not to dwell on them for too long. To help acceptance, remind yourself that these feelings are not permanent, but that they are teaching you something meaningful about the social world.

Is exclusion a form of harassment?

Social Exclusion is now recognized as a sub group of bullying. This means that idea of excluding someone repeatedly, aggressively and on purpose with the intent to cause emotional harm to them, is right up there with verbal, physical and cyber bullying.

What is risk of exclusion?

At risk of exclusion: What does it mean? The school may talk to you about your child being at risk of exclusion if their behaviour does not improve, they continue to break the school's behaviour policy or they have already been excluded.

How does being an outcast affect a person?

On the contrary, facing rejection from others and being bullied or excluded can be incredibly painful to experience. Feeling like an outsider takes a toll on mental health, leading to significant issues like low self-esteem, hopelessness, loneliness, or depression.

How does exclusion impact mental health?

A meta-analysis of studies on the relationship between perceived discrimination and mental health by Pascoe and Smart Richman [41] shows that experiences of social exclusion in the form of discrimination have a negative effect on depressive symptoms and general wellbeing, while social support and group identification, ...

Can exclusion cause trauma?

Repeated exclusion from others, feeling like you need to mask to fit in, or having to participate in activities or be in environments that cause sensory overload is stressful and exhausting. And as these experiences pile up, they can turn into trauma.

Why is it bad to exclude people?

Long-term social exclusion can lead to emotional distress and a host of mental health problems.  One study even found that social exclusion can lead to impaired self-regulation, meaning that people may struggle to make healthy decisions for themselves when they are being socially excluded.

What are some behavioral effects of being excluded?

The consequences of social exclusion may range from mild distress to extreme violence and aggression seen in school shootings, and often include negative emotional experiences such as depression, anxiety, loneliness and feelings of isolation (Twenge, Baumeister, Tice, & Stucke, 2001, Leary, Kowalski, Smith, & Phillips, ...

What are 3 reasons for exclusion?

People can be excluded because of who they are, where they live, sociocultural reasons, lack of resources – and frequently a combination of these factors, as shown in Figure 1.2. The overlapping circles in the diagram indicate how there may be more than one reason for exclusion of any individual or group.

What are disorders of exclusion?

Examples
  • Fibromyalgia.
  • Adult-onset Still's disease.
  • Behçet's disease.
  • Bell's palsy.
  • Burning mouth syndrome.
  • Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis.
  • Long COVID.
  • Inappropriate sinus tachycardia.

What happens if you isolate yourself for too long?

The Impact of Isolation on Mental Health

Loneliness can worsen anxiety, depression, and even physical health. Difficulty Reaching Out: The longer you isolate yourself, the harder it becomes to break the pattern. You might find it increasingly difficult to reconnect with others, even when you want to.

How does a lonely person behave?

When someone feels lonely they are more likely to try to distract themselves with the other things in their lives. So if your colleague is always talking about their stamp collection, or always flying away on exotic solo city breaks rather than spending weekends at home, they might be feeling alone.

What are the effects of lack of family support?

The researchers found a lack of parental support during childhood is associated with increased levels of depressive symptoms and chronic health conditions (such as hypertension, arthritis and urinary problems) in adulthood, and this association persists with increasing age throughout adulthood into early old age.