Social exclusion in virtual realities has a negative social and emotional impact in ‘real’ life

In this age of highly realistic computer games and increasingly popular social networks, social exclusion in virtual worlds is becoming more and more socially significant, as is demonstrated by the growing number of “cyber mobbing” cases. However, up until now, very little research has been carried out into the impact of social exclusion in the digital world upon real-life social behavior, and hardly any that addresses the latest developments such as Virtual Reality (VR) glasses. A study has now shown that exclusion from a virtual group has a significant negative impact upon willingness to help and social distance in the real world.