Now you can play Cyberball — a computer game that psychology researchers use to study the effects of social ostracism and hurt feelings. Normally, the game is played by test subjects who are hooked up to some kind of brain scanning system and who are told that they are playing against other test subjects in other rooms. In reality, they (and now you!) are playing against a computer program that is designed to exclude you and make you feel unwelcome. Why would someone design such a thing? For science! Of course. (Via Rowan Hooper)

  • GawainLavers

    Oh man, I’m going to be own this game.  I’ve been practicing my whole life!

  • http://newnumber6.livejournal.com Peter

    I don’t want to play your dumb game anyway!

  • http://www.nothinginside.net mindysan33

    Oh, I already played that for reals in middle school a million years ago.  I’m done with that thanks…

  • peregrinus

    Um, I don’t feel so good after playing that a few times.  The others are … mean.  They wouldn’t even look at me, and I throw so well.  And catch.  But one of them catches left-handed and throws right, which makes him (it?) intriguing.

    I’m left feeling somewhat empty, but happy and contented that they have to exist forever on the internet.  May they goddamn rot.

  • scatterfingers

    Sounds like Reddit to me.

  • http://profiles.google.com/dave.mckee David McKee

    Paper here, I think: http://www2.psy.unsw.edu.au/users/rrichardson/pdf/lisa’s%20jesp%20paper.pdf

  • Masquirina

    Anonymous user who wouldn’t throw it to science fan here: I only clicked the same user over and over again because this game has no scores or challenges, and is altogether quite atrocious. The interest just wasn’t there.

    Yours truly,
    Washington Irving

  • http://www.facebook.com/postelwait Cameron Postelwait

    so they sign onto facebook and do what?

  • Boundegar

    I don’t know why they wouldn’t share.  T_T

  • Chanfan

    Excellent. They totally let me win, allowing me to have the least number of catches in the allowed time. I felt so appreciated and loved!

  • sweetcraspy

    Alternately, you can keep the ball.

    • http://www.leidentech.com leidentech

       Albert Einstein: Hey!
      You: Haha
      You: Losers.
      You: I got the ball.

  • BirdBot

    If I hadn’t known in advance that it was a social study, I would have just thought the game was bugged. 

  • Salamalecs

    A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?

  • howaboutthisdangit

    Well, now that I’ve got the ball, I’m going to get some breakfast.  Make those bastards wait.

  • http://www.facebook.com/peter.brauer1 Peter Brauer

    Cyberball is totally amazing.  Though its not fun at all, what it reveals about human nature is profound.  I just finished editing a feature doc called Reject, that follows the scientists including Kip Williams, Naomi Eisenberger, Matthew Lieberman, Nathan DeWall, and Ethan Kross as they reveal the deep impact of social rejection.  http://rejectfilm.com

  • Faring

    How do I upgrade to the titanium running back?

    • Michael Gilbert

       I was wondering the same thing. :D