An individual's teenage years are a time when, for many, being cool is all that matters. Though popularity can go a long way in boosting one's confidence, youths that are ignored or ostracized may head down a darker path.

According to new research, which appears in Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, ostracism may cause long-term pain. When people feel they are being excluded, the part of their brain that registers physical pain is also affected by this harm to one's feelings.

Exclusion is painful to so many people because it goes against the human need to belong, according to the psychological expert behind the research. Emotional reactions to ostracism are also not limited to one's peers, as past studies have shown that even strangers can affect an individual's self-esteem.

The expert believes that the effects of ostracism are often underestimated and that clinicians should be aware of this so that they can help individuals try to prevent depression or other negative side effects.

Teenagers who are feeling left out or ignored by their peers may want to pursue help from private boarding schools before their feelings can cause them harm.