A new, small study into the neural correlates of social exclusion in individuals with excessive smartphone use has found distinct patterns of brain activity when heavy users are left out in a simulated online interaction. Researchers, led by psychiatrist Robert C. Wolf at Heidelberg University, reported that these heightened neural responses could help explain why some people maintain screen-related behavioural habits over time.
The research sits within an ongoing debate about where habit ends and addiction begins, particularly in the realm of digital social interaction. The study notes that behavioural addictions often emerge from a mix of personal traits, heightened responses to external cues and challenges to cognitive control, with smartphones and their apps designed to foster constant connectivity and social engagement.
In addition to brain scans, the team assessed participants’ emotional and cognitive vulnerabilities. The 41 young adults, aged 18 to 30, were divided into two groups using a standard questionnaire that measures excessive smartphone use: 23 in the excessive-use group and 18 in a control group. All participants completed surveys measuring depression, social phobia and fear of missing out (FOMO) before undergoing imaging.
Inside the scanner, participants played Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing game designed to simulate online social interaction. They were told they were playing with two real co-players, with a loading screen suggesting a network connection and AI-generated portrait photos to mimic an authentic interface. The game alternated between inclusion phases, when the ball was regularly thrown to the participant, and exclusion phases, when the other “players” passed the ball only to each other, leaving the participant out.
The imaging revealed divergent brain responses between groups during exclusion. In the excessive smartphone use group, there was heightened activity in the right middle cingulate cortex when comparing exclusion with inclusion, a region associated with processing social pain. Activity also extended to the right superior frontal cortex, a region linked to higher-order cognitive functions and executive control.
By contrast, the control group showed greater activation in the left superior parietal cortex during exclusion, a region involved in working memory and the integration of sensory information. The researchers noted that the two groups appeared to engage different neural pathways when faced with social rejection.
Behaviourally, those in the excessive-use group scored higher on the FOMO scale and reported greater functional impairment in daily life due to their screen habits. The study found a positive correlation in the excessive-use group between activity in the left superior parietal cortex and functional impairment scores, suggesting a link between neural responses to social exclusion and real-world impacts.
Across both groups, the researchers observed dopamine and serotonin networks active during social exclusion, indicating that the task induced a genuine emotional response to social distress via these neurotransmitter systems.
The researchers caution that the study is observational and cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causality. With a relatively small sample, the findings should be treated as preliminary until replicated in larger populations. Methodological limitations included some participants suspecting they were playing against a computer, which could have dampened the emotional impact for those individuals, and reliance on self-reported questionnaires rather than clinical evaluations.
Looking ahead, the team suggests longitudinal studies to track how smartphone habits and social sensitivity develop over time. Experimental designs involving periods of enforced smartphone restriction could help clarify how social pain and digital behaviours influence one another and deepen understanding of how digital networks serve the basic human need for connection and belonging.
The study, titled Neural correlates of social exclusion in individuals with excessive smartphone use, was authored by Gudrun M. Henemann, Mike M. Schmitgen, Sophie H. Haage, Jakob P. Rosero, Patrick Bach, Nadine D. Wolf, Julian Koenig and Robert C. Wolf.
