The brain treats rejection like physical pain, according to scientists.

The human brain treats rejection in a similar way to the way it process physical pain, new research has suggested.

A scientific study conducted by the University of Michigan Medical School has shown that the brain uses a similar reaction to ease the pain of social rejection as it does to deal with pain caused by physical injury.

A team led by Dr David T. Hsu also found that people who showed high levels of resilience on a personality test also had higher levels of natural painkiller activation.