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Pronoun use has been linked to focus of attention and feelings of group identity and cohesion. This study tests if the use of we and you pronouns are related to feelings of ostracism in an online chat group. We pronouns have been linked to higher group identity, and their use may decrease if participants feel ostracized. You pronouns have been linked to differentiation and distancing, and their use may increase with feelings of ostracism. Participants discussed their views about climate change (study 1) or the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump (study 2) in an online group chat. Afterward, participants assessed feelings of ostracism from the group. In both studies, participants who felt more ostracized used more you pronouns but not fewer we pronouns.
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Swol et al. (2022) studied this question.
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