Ten Surprising Facts About Rejection

Interesting to know Tylenol reduces the emotional pain rejection elicits. Wonder if it works on other emotional pain...

Ten Surprising Facts About Rejection

by Guy Winch, Ph.D.

Rejection really hurts but most rejections inflict damage to our psychological well-being that goes way beyond mere emotional pain. Here are ten lesser known facts that describe the various psychological impacts rejections have on our emotions, thinking, and behavior.

1. Rejection piggybacks on physical pain pathways in the brain.
2. Tylenol reduces the emotional pain rejection elicits.
3. Rejection served a vital function in our evolutionary past.
4. We can relive and re-experience social pain more vividly than we can physical pain.
5. Rejection destabilizes our ‘Need to Belong’.
6. Rejection creates surges of anger and aggression.
7. Rejections send us on a mission to seek and destroy our self-esteem.
8. Rejection temporarily lowers our IQ.
9. Rejection does not respond to reason.
10. There are ways to treat the psychological wounds rejection inflicts.

Read more: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201307/ten-surprising-facts-about-rejection