Why do humans enjoy excluding others?

[Anonymous]

From the way our society is setup and the way people interact with each other it seems that humans enjoy excluding/alienating other people. Yet, at the same time they are described as social creatures.
Why is that?

[super147]

The picture that you have included perfectly illustrates the reason why and it IS for social bonding reasons. What you see there is a group excluding a single person. Usually there are one or two instigators in the group and the rest are followers. The instigators shun a person to further cement their own place in the group, that's what it's really about. A person perceived as weaker is targeted and used as a social stepladder.

The reason for the person being shunned could be that they are perceived as a threat. If you remove them then your place in the group is less at risk. Similarly, if you are part of a fairly petty and juvenile social group then you may win favour by just being plain mean to someone. It makes you seem 'cool' be a dick, so you use the outcast as a target and you improve your own pathetic reputation within the group.

Either way, it's about using one person as a social stepladder to improve your own status.

[astrOnaut01]

You are also a human. Do you enjoy excluding others?

[Girl7150]

I often wonder this, because I HATE when people exclude others! I don't get it as we would all feel terrible being excluded by others ourselves!

[Grace_Rdz]

Because we are fucked up individuals