
309 — Feel Left Out a Lot? The Neuroscience of Exclusion — and the Daily Habit That Builds Secure Relationships with Columbia Neuroscientist Dr. Amir Levine
From Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin by Amy Morin
April 20, 2026 · 54 min · Episode 309
About this episode
In this episode, Amy Morin interviews Dr. Amir Levine about the neuroscience of exclusion and how to build secure relationships through understanding attachment styles.
Want more plays to choose from? Pre-order The Mental Strength Playbook before April 28th and get exclusive bonuses delivered instantly — including a mental strength audit and the book's introduction. Have you ever wondered why an unanswered text can send you into a spiral? Or why you keep having the same fight with your partner over and over again? It might be your attachment style. And the good news is, you can actually rewire your brain to feel more secure in your relationships. My guest today is Dr. Amir Levine, psychiatrist, molecular neuroscientist, and the bestselling author of Attached. He's back with a brand new book called Secure, where he shares how the small, everyday moments of connection can change your brain on a molecular level. Some of the things we discuss in this episode are: Why you can be securely attached to one person in your life and anxiously attached to another — and what that reveals about you. The "cyberball effect" and the surprising reason your brain reacts to being left off a group text the same way it reacts to physical pain. The shocking experiment that proved exclusion hurts even when the people excluding you aren't good people. The 5 pillars…
People in this episode
Host: Amy Morin
Guest: Dr. Amir Levine
Topics covered
- neuroscience of exclusion
- attachment styles
- secure relationships
- mental health
- connection
- relationship evaluation
Keywords
- attachment style
- neuroscience
- exclusion
- secure connection
- relationship dynamics
- mental strength
- cyberball effect
- CARP intervention
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Columbia
Products: The Mental Strength Playbook
Books & works: Attached, Secure
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