Discussion
BPD
We investigated the effects of Cyberball-induced social exclusion on empathy in patients with BPD and healthy controls. Our manipulation was successful, as social exclusion resulted in greater feelings of exclusion compared to the overinclusion condition. Cyberball did not result in an increase in cortisol release. Cognitive empathy did not differ between groups or conditions. Women with BPD reported lower emotional empathy than healthy women in both conditions for positive emotions. Exploratory analyses suggested that this effect might be more pronounced after social exclusion.