Social exclusion increases interpersonal distance through need threat: buffering and amplifying roles of social identification and rejection sensitivity.

Introduction: Although social exclusion influences interpersonal distance preferences, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. The present study addressed this gap by examining whether exclusion-induced fundamental need threat accounts for the association between social exclusion and interpersonal distance, and whether social identification and rejection sensitivity shape this process among Chinese college students. Methods: A total of 396 participants reported social identification and rejection sensitivity, and completed measures of interpersonal distance at baseline and following inclusion and exclusion conditions manipulated via the Cyberball paradigm, with perceived need threat assessed after each condition. Results: Results showed that social exclusion increased perceived need threat and preferred interpersonal distance relative to both the baseline and the inclusion conditions. Need threat mediated the association between social exclusion and interpersonal distance, with stronger effects observed among individuals low in social identification and high in rejection sensitivity. Discussion: These findings not only provide evidence that social exclusion shapes interpersonal distance through exclusion-induced need threat but also offer a new lens for understanding how interpersonal boundaries are regulated in response to social threat, highlighting the role of individual differences in this process.