Over the past decade, evolutionary psychologists, neuroscientists, and pharmaceutical researchers alike have begun to shed fascinating new light on heartbreak. The forces that bind two people in union are powerful, but love’s dissolution is more potent still — a trauma to the brain and body that in some cases can be all but indistinguishable from mental illness.
For example, in a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researchers found that of 114 Americans who had been romantically rejected in the 8 weeks prior to the study, 40 percent remained clinically depressed — 12 percent moderately to severely so.
“A heart broken from love lost rates among the most stressful life events a person can experience,” says David Buss, Ph.D., the author of “The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating.” “It’s exceeded in psychological pain only by horrific events, such as the loss of a child.”
via MSNBC: Understanding a broken heart
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Comment by heartsdobreak — April 19, 2009 @ 3:06 pm
You’re welcome. I saw this story and had to share, because personal experience led me to that conclusion years ago. Glad to see scientists offering evidence to support what many of us have known.
I recall, many years ago, that the grandmother of a friend had been ill for a very long time. We assumed she didn’t have much time left. So when she died one morning, we were all saddened, but not surprised. Her husband of more than 50 years got right to work making all the arrangements for her funeral and burial. After spending much of the day with the mortician, all of the decision had been made, the cheques signed. Grandpa (we all calle dhim that) asked the funeral director if all was done. If I recall correctly, his question was: “She’s all taken care of now?” The mortician replied in the assent. Grandpa leaned back in his chair in the director’s office, smiled a melancholy smile, and apparently sighed. Actually, he had breathed his last, right then and there. When we got the call that evening saying that Grandpa had died too, just hours after his beloved’s passing, we all knew the power of love… and realized that Grandpa was too broken-hearted to continue any longer without her. Powerful stuff.
Comment by NR Davis — April 19, 2009 @ 4:05 pm
[...] the spirit of validating my emotions and confirming my suspicions, I give you this. Now, I’m not sure who this Greatfuldread is, but he sounds right [...]
Pingback by On Quick Updates « Pratfalls of the Macabre — April 21, 2009 @ 7:45 pm
That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. How connected our emotional selves our with our physical selves is very scary to me as I go through this journey and discovery of loves power. Thanks for sharing.
Comment by heartsdobreak — April 21, 2009 @ 10:05 pm
It’s scary, yes, but it shows me that nothing is more powerful than love. Knowing that helps me a lot.
Comment by NR Davis — April 21, 2009 @ 11:26 pm