Observing Isolation: An Attempt to Measure the Effects of Exclusion on the Global Belongingness Scale

Abstract

Studies of social connectedness and how we react to being excluded has been an area of growing interest and research. Much of this research has focused on the concept of Belongingness, particularly how it is reduced by social exclusion and how this affects behaviour. There is also some evidence that the effects of exclusion can be mediated or amplified by individual differences. This has led to a need for experimental measures of Belongingness, the most recent of which is the Global Belongingness Scale (GBS). Across two experiments, we aimed to show that social exclusion led to a drop in Belongingness as measured by the GBS. No such connection was found, though previous findings of links between personality and GBS scores were replicated. Reasons for these findings and possible further studies are discussed.