Studies have found that social rejection activates the same pain regions as physical damage! In one such study, brain activity of participants was monitored in an fMRI machine while they played a game of catch that was curated to trick them into thinking that they were being intentionally excluded in a virtual game of catch. Those who felt more distressed had higher activation of the anterior cingulate cortex, suggesting that the extent to which a person is upset by rejection correlates with the activation of the areas that process and allow us to feel pain.