... from the blood, they are diverted from other partsof the brain, including the working memory function,which processes new information and ideas. Thisimpairs analytic thinking, creative insight, ... cortex — the neural region involved in the distressing component of pain, or what is sometimesreferred to as the ‘suffering’ component of pain. Thosepeople who felt the most rejected had the highest ... had the highest levelsof activity in this region.” In other words, the feeling ofbeing excluded provoked the same sort of reaction in the brain that physical pain might cause. (See Exhibit 1.)Eisenberger’s...