ABSTRACT
Ostracism-being excluded and ignored-is a phenomenon that occurs in diverse cultures and contexts (Williams & Nida, 2011) among both humans and non-human social animals (e.g., Goodall, 1986). Ostracism can be institutionalized in practices such as incarceration, excommunication, and political exile, or even in the disciplinary practice of giving children time-outs (Williams, 2001, 2009). However, many instances of ostracism are informal and include any instance in which individuals perceive themselves to be ignored and excluded. These instances can be as seemingly trivial as being denied eye contact by a stranger (Nezlek, Wesselmann, Wheeler, & Williams, 2012; Wesselmann, Cardoso, Slater, & Williams, 2012).
