Social exclusion
Participants were randomized to an exclusion or an overinclusion condition of the Cyberball paradigm [Before the game, participants read the instructions, stating that they should imagine the game as if it was happening in real life with real people. It also stated that they would be tossing a ball with two real co-players via an internet connection (“cover story”), while in fact these co-players were computer-generated. After completing the whole experiment, all participants were debriefed.