Rejection can be surprisingly painful, even when it looks small from the outside. A friend stops replying. A job application goes nowhere. A partner ends a relationship. A group makes plans without you. These moments can leave a mark because belonging is a basic human need, not a luxury. The pain of rejection is not a sign of weakness. Research suggests that social pain and physical pain share some of the same brain pathways. In well-known studies on social exclusion, including the Cyberball...