Social Exclusions Physiological Effects - Article Example

Social psychologists Zhong and Leonardelli discovered in two experiments a physiological effect of social exclusion, which was previously thought to be tied only to mental states. This evidence shows a link between anxious emotional states and perceptions of the environment. However, the experimental design does contain limitations that diminish some of the external validity of their study’s results.

In two experiments, Zhong and Leonardelli (2008) discovered that participants depicted social exclusion with cold-related concepts not only in a figurative sense but also in their literal estimates of room temperatures and their preferences for warm food. The researchers wished to study the connection between the environment and psychology. Participants were invited to toss a ball with three other participants through an online connection. Eventually, these three other participants began playing amongst themselves, to the exclusion of those randomly assigned to the experimental condition. These individuals, who were excluded from the game, were afterward asked to rate the desirability of a warm drink, warm food, and cold products. The results of this indicated that individuals excluded from the game tended to prefer warm foods and drinks to control foods and drinks. In addition, participants tended to rate the temperature of the room lower after their exclusion. The authors concluded that there is truth to the abstract connection between limited social interactions and feelings of coldness. This adds to the research literature on the connection between social psychology and sensation/perception.

The conclusions of Zhong and Leonardelli (2008) are intriguing; however, it is limited in scope. First, the exclusion task involved a computer-related game, which is not reflective of a real-life simulation of exclusion that most people (in particular, children) are familiar with. Therefore, additional studies on this topic could make use of in-school field experiments to see whether the results here replicate in an environment outside of the laboratory. Second, this study only followed participants through their experience of social exclusion, without looking at the reduction of that exclusion and its cold feelings. As the authors suggest, one avenue of further research is to look at whether a warm object (such as warm food) would affect the negative experience of social exclusion, which could be useful in preventing social anxiety.