In an earlier post, I wrote about research that demonstrates a link between social rejection and physical pain. Well, a new study in a high quality journal (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) has extended our understanding of the impact of rejection on the body. I've always liked the studies published in this journal because they are often clever and and well-executed.
The researchers tested a particular theoretical model of rejection. They ran an experiment where undergraduate students were placed into one of two groups: (1) "ambiguous rejection" and (2) "no rejection".
Without getting into too many details, the people in the "ambiguous rejection" group were put in a scenario where another person behaved in a way that may have been an act of rejection. Conversely, the people in the other group were put in a similar scenario -- where another person does not want to interact with them -- but it was obvious that it was not a rejection.
What the researchers found was very interesting. They found that people with low self-esteem who were rejected experienced the following sequence of events:
(1) they tended to blame themselves for the rejection (although there was little reason to do so),
(2) they rated themselves as being less likeable
(3) these first two events caused an increase in cortisol (I'll explain the significance of this below), and
(4) this increase in cortisol was followed by defensive behaviour. Specifically, the people who were rejected and had low-self-esteem were more critical of the person who rejected them.
Many of the things that these researchers demonstrated with an experiment, clinical psychologists like myself see all the time. It looks something like this:
A client comes to session feeling stressed and sad. They feel this way because of something that happened during the week. For example, a friend called and canceled plans because something important came up. They believe that the person rejected them because they are unlikeable, which then reinforces how they already think about themselves -- as being unlikeable to others. The client may eventually try and protect their sense of self by attacking the person in some way (ex: saying they are inconsiderate), or by distancing themselves from the relationship.
It is easy to see in this example that the person is feeling sad and stressed for almost no good reason. There was no obvious rejection. Their friend said that something else came up, and so they had to cancel plans. People do this all the time. Research shows that people with high self-esteem do not interpret this as being a rejection experience. Unfortunately, for those with LSE, their interpretation leads them down a dark path.
This research really adds to our understanding of this rejection process. The researchers were able to show that this rejection sequence leads to increases in cortisol. Prior research had already shown that rejection leads to increases in cortisol -- what makes this study unique is that a negative interpretation of rejection appeared to cause the increase in cortisol.
Psychologists know that negatively biased thinking can cause stress and negative emotions (I'll blog about this in more detail later), and now they know that negative thinking can negatively affect the body.
What is cortisol and how does it negatively affect the body?
Well, cortisol is what's know as a "stress hormone." It is commonly secreted by the body when physical safety is threatened. It was originally designed (through evolution) to prepare the body for an attack. It increases arousal and prepares us to handle an impending challenge. For example, if a stranger on the street started to push you around and threaten you, your body would secrete cortisol and other stress hormones.
However, cortisol does not only get released with threats to physical well-being. It also gets released when there are threats to our "social well-being." In other words, when we are rejected by others or even if our social status is threatened in some way (ex: a failure experience), then cortisol and other stress hormones are released in the body.
When cortisol is released repeatedly over time, it can have damaging effects on the body. Research has found associations between heightened levels of cortisol and lowered immune system functioning, cardiovascular disease, ulcers, complications involving diabetes (ex: high blood sugar), etc.
Again, this highlights the interplay between physical health and mental health. When someone has diabetes or high blood pressure, and they have problems with stress and negative thinking, the combination can be very negative to physical health. I've worked with a number of such patients, and when their coping ability improves, you can see the results in medical tests (ex: blood sugar levels drop).
To sum up, people who have negatively biased beliefs about themselves (ex: "I'm unlikeable") and other negatively biased thinking, they can easily get caught in a cycle of negative thinking - negative emotions - stress -- negative thinking, which can take its toll on the body.
Dr. Roger Covin
Montreal Psychologist
www.drcovin.ca
The researchers tested a particular theoretical model of rejection. They ran an experiment where undergraduate students were placed into one of two groups: (1) "ambiguous rejection" and (2) "no rejection".
Without getting into too many details, the people in the "ambiguous rejection" group were put in a scenario where another person behaved in a way that may have been an act of rejection. Conversely, the people in the other group were put in a similar scenario -- where another person does not want to interact with them -- but it was obvious that it was not a rejection.
What the researchers found was very interesting. They found that people with low self-esteem who were rejected experienced the following sequence of events:
(1) they tended to blame themselves for the rejection (although there was little reason to do so),
(2) they rated themselves as being less likeable
(3) these first two events caused an increase in cortisol (I'll explain the significance of this below), and
(4) this increase in cortisol was followed by defensive behaviour. Specifically, the people who were rejected and had low-self-esteem were more critical of the person who rejected them.
Many of the things that these researchers demonstrated with an experiment, clinical psychologists like myself see all the time. It looks something like this:
A client comes to session feeling stressed and sad. They feel this way because of something that happened during the week. For example, a friend called and canceled plans because something important came up. They believe that the person rejected them because they are unlikeable, which then reinforces how they already think about themselves -- as being unlikeable to others. The client may eventually try and protect their sense of self by attacking the person in some way (ex: saying they are inconsiderate), or by distancing themselves from the relationship.
It is easy to see in this example that the person is feeling sad and stressed for almost no good reason. There was no obvious rejection. Their friend said that something else came up, and so they had to cancel plans. People do this all the time. Research shows that people with high self-esteem do not interpret this as being a rejection experience. Unfortunately, for those with LSE, their interpretation leads them down a dark path.
This research really adds to our understanding of this rejection process. The researchers were able to show that this rejection sequence leads to increases in cortisol. Prior research had already shown that rejection leads to increases in cortisol -- what makes this study unique is that a negative interpretation of rejection appeared to cause the increase in cortisol.
Psychologists know that negatively biased thinking can cause stress and negative emotions (I'll blog about this in more detail later), and now they know that negative thinking can negatively affect the body.
What is cortisol and how does it negatively affect the body?
Well, cortisol is what's know as a "stress hormone." It is commonly secreted by the body when physical safety is threatened. It was originally designed (through evolution) to prepare the body for an attack. It increases arousal and prepares us to handle an impending challenge. For example, if a stranger on the street started to push you around and threaten you, your body would secrete cortisol and other stress hormones.
However, cortisol does not only get released with threats to physical well-being. It also gets released when there are threats to our "social well-being." In other words, when we are rejected by others or even if our social status is threatened in some way (ex: a failure experience), then cortisol and other stress hormones are released in the body.
When cortisol is released repeatedly over time, it can have damaging effects on the body. Research has found associations between heightened levels of cortisol and lowered immune system functioning, cardiovascular disease, ulcers, complications involving diabetes (ex: high blood sugar), etc.
Again, this highlights the interplay between physical health and mental health. When someone has diabetes or high blood pressure, and they have problems with stress and negative thinking, the combination can be very negative to physical health. I've worked with a number of such patients, and when their coping ability improves, you can see the results in medical tests (ex: blood sugar levels drop).
To sum up, people who have negatively biased beliefs about themselves (ex: "I'm unlikeable") and other negatively biased thinking, they can easily get caught in a cycle of negative thinking - negative emotions - stress -- negative thinking, which can take its toll on the body.
Dr. Roger Covin
Montreal Psychologist
www.drcovin.ca
1 comment:
Can Cortisol levels be controlled through medication or must we work on self image to control it?
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