The Upside to Social Rejection

Social rejection, it turns out, just might have its advantages.

A study by University of Miami graduate students, published in the October issue of Psychological Science, suggests that those who have experienced rejection from friends, peers and family are the best judges of sincerity, and the quickest to spot a fake smile when they encounter one.

Michael Bernstein, one of the researchers, explained that this is a skill we likely acquired through evolution. He says, when people lived in clans, “being kicked out of the group was like death, so they became very good at reading facial expressions and social cues.” This “radar” for fakes enables us to distinguish “who is open to affiliation and who is not.”

Some of the researchers were surprised with the results, and had anticipated that “the subjects who had been rejected would latch onto any sign of positivity and accept the insincere smiles as genuine.” But it turns out that those on the fringes aren’t so easily fooled.

Click here to read more about the study.

(Photo by Kevin Trotman)