Being Ignored Hurts, Even by a Stranger

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125132814.htm

Psychologists already know that humans have to feel connected to each other to be happy. A knitting circle, a church choir, or a friendly neighbor can all feed that need for connection. "Some of my coauthors have found, for example, that people have reported that they felt bothered sometimes even when a stranger hasn't acknowledged them," Wesselmann says. People who had gotten eye contact from the research assistant, with or without a smile, felt less disconnected than people who had been looked at as if they weren't there. "These are people that you don't know, just walking by you, but them looking at you or giving you the air gaze -- looking through you -- seemed to have at least momentary effect," Wesselmann says.