Reject

Social Rejection and the Science of Belonging

A scientific and solution-oriented look at the roots of bullying and violent behavior.

Using brain imaging (fMRI) and a simple ball-tossing game, researchers demonstrate that the brain looks as though it is in actual physical pain when people are rejected, even when the person doing the rejecting is a total stranger. In contrast, pioneers in education show models of acceptance that influence physical and mental health, self-esteem and even IQ.

Experts in psychology, education, medicine, neuroscience, and juvenile justice who have studied "rejection" in their respective fields give commentary in REJECT. They include renowned early childhood expert Vivian Gussin Paley, youth violence expert James Garbarino, and leading researchers in the study of ostracism and social exclusion.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE: REJECT includes discussion of suicide and violence and is recommended for mature audiences.

"Reject engages with the critical tension at the heart of our being: our profound desire to belong and its dark side- our callous capacity to reject and ostracise. In a world that appears to suffer from no shortage of intolerance, exclusion and marginalisation, this film performs a vital function: it both educates and advocates; it is both a documentary and a demand for mutual understanding and tolerance. Watch it. Spread its timely message." - Dexter Dias, Queen's Counsel, Author "The Ten Types of Human", Penguin Random House , Visiting Researcher, Harvard and Cambridge Universities