People often go through multiple emotions as they feel euphoric, intense and giddy at the same time when they fall in love.

However, a lot of them suffer physical pain too when their heart breaks due to the failure of their relationship or the sudden death of their loved ones.

Experts say that the physical pain one experiences due to heartbreak is very real and actually has a scientific explanation.

According to a report published by Live Science, the painful heartbreaks have a physiological explanation and the symptoms are not only the mind's play, stated Dr Deborah Lee, a medical writer for the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy in England.

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/lifestyle/news-cardiologist-reveals-five-unusual-signs-that-mean-you-may-be-susceptible-to-a-heart-attack-568754">Cardiologist reveals five common signs that indicate you may be susceptible to heart attack</a>

"When you fall in love, there is a natural outpouring of hormones. These include the 'cuddle' hormone oxytocin and the 'feel-good' hormone dopamine," Dr Lee said.

"But when you fall out of love, levels of oxytocin and dopamine drop, while at the same time there is an increase in levels of one of the hormones responsible for stress - cortisol," she explained.

According to the doctor, the increased cortisol levels can lead to conditions like weight gain, increased anxiety, high blood pressure and acne.

Social rejection like getting separated from your partner also activates a few parts of the brain which are related to physical pain, she said.

As per the report, in a few cases, the pain due to a broken heart can also be a medical condition called “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy” or the “broken heart syndrome” which is a heart condition that lasts for short-duration triggered by physical or emotional stress.

The condition leads to a change in the way blood is pumped by the heart and sometimes makes the heart pump blood harder, due to which the person experiences chest pain.

Broken heart syndrome's symptoms are similar to that of a heart attack, which makes it difficult for doctors and patients to differentiate between the two.

WATCH | New Study: Ozone related with rising hospitalisation for health disease

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In various cases, the only way doctors can diagnose broken heart syndrome is by carrying out heart catheterisation or coronary angiogram, in which they insert a small catheter through the arm, groin, or neck and take it to the heart.

After a contrast dye is injected into the chamber of the heart, its effectiveness can be evaluated by physicians.

Typically, severe stressors cause broken heart syndrome and usually, it occurs only once. Most of its patients suffer pain for some days or weeks, but in a few cases, it has resulted in death. 
 
(With inputs from agencies) 
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People often go through multiple emotions as they feel euphoric, intense and giddy at the same time when they fall in love. However, a lot of them suffer physical pain too when their heart breaks due to the failure of their relationship or the sudden death of their loved ones.

People often go through multiple emotions as they feel euphoric, intense and giddy at the same time when they fall in love. However, a lot of them suffer physical pain too when their heart breaks due to the failure of their relationship or the sudden death of their loved ones. Experts say that the physical pain one experiences due to heartbreak is very real and actually has a scientific explanation. According to a report published by Live Science, the painful heartbreaks have a physiological explanation and the symptoms are not only the mind's play, stated Dr Deborah Lee, a medical writer for the Dr Fox Online Pharmacy in England. ALSO READ | Cardiologist reveals five common signs that indicate you may be susceptible to heart attack "When you fall in love, there is a natural outpouring of hormones. These include the 'cuddle' hormone oxytocin and the 'feel-good' hormone dopamine," Dr Lee said. "But when you fall out of love, levels of oxytocin and dopamine drop, while at the same time there is an increase in levels of one of the hormones responsible for stress - cortisol," she explained. According to the doctor, the increased cortisol levels can lead to conditions like weight gain, increased anxiety, high blood pressure and acne. Social rejection like getting separated from your partner also activates a few parts of the brain which are related to physical pain, she said. As per the report, in a few cases, the pain due to a broken heart can also be a medical condition called “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy” or the “broken heart syndrome” which is a heart condition that lasts for short-duration triggered by physical or emotional stress. The condition leads to a change in the way blood is pumped by the heart and sometimes makes the heart pump blood harder, due to which the person experiences chest pain. Broken heart syndrome's symptoms are similar to that of a heart attack, which makes it difficult for doctors and patients to differentiate between the two. WATCH | New Study: Ozone related with rising hospitalisation for health disease In various cases, the only way doctors can diagnose broken heart syndrome is by carrying out heart catheterisation or coronary angiogram, in which they insert a small catheter through the arm, groin, or neck and take it to the heart. After a contrast dye is injected into the chamber of the heart, its effectiveness can be evaluated by physicians. Typically, severe stressors cause broken heart syndrome and usually, it occurs only once. Most of its patients suffer pain for some days or weeks, but in a few cases, it has resulted in death. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Why heartbreaks are so painful? Experts explain the science behind it

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated.

Not only was he crushed, he said, but as a marriage and family therapist, “this entire process challenged my professional identity,” said Ruiz, who is 36 and lives in Boston. “How could I help couples when my own marriage is falling apart?”

And so he determined that he needed to fall out of love.

“People say heartbreak is normal, so we shouldn’t try to fix it,” said Sandra Langeslag, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has studied the effects of breakups on the brain. But she points out that there are plenty of common, and even serious, diseases that we try to cure, so “why shouldn’t we try to help people with heartbreak and try to move on?”

Heartbreak has inspired music, poetry, visual art, ice-cream-filled listening sessions with friends and even a new hotel. And regardless of the reason — whether death, cognitive impairment, divorce or otherwise — most who experience it hope to recover and maybe even fall in love again with someone new.

But what if we actually had some control over the process? Can one deliberately fall out of love? Some of the science says yes.

“You can work on it,” said Helen E. Fisher, a biological anthropologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute in New York. She studies the anatomy of love, and in 2005 studied the brain imaging of 100 people using MRIs to pinpoint the circuitry of romantic love.

Fisher said she discovered that the same area of the brain associated with hunger and thirst — what is known as the ventral tegmental area, or VTA — becomes activated when you’re in love, making it “a drive, not an emotion.” This biological function makes falling out of love about as hard as trying not to feel thirsty. In other words, it’s not easy.

Kisha Mays, 40, who runs a business consultancy in Houston, continued to love her former boyfriend even while he was in prison. They were on and off for years, she said, and got back together for two years before he was released in October 2021. Then two months later, she said, he broke up with her.

“Now it is just healing, rebuilding and learning to trust again,” Mays said, noting that reiki and spiritual healing — along with throwing out all of his belongings — have helped.

Fisher would agree with Mays’ technique: She suggests treating the recovery process as you would an addiction, and throw out the cards, letters and keepsakes that remind you of the person. Don’t maintain contact or ask mutual friends how that person is doing. “You’re just raising the ghost,” she said.

Fisher, who put 17 people who had just been dumped through brain scanners, found activity in the VTA and in brain functions linked to attachment and physical pain. “Not the anxiety linked to physical pain, but physical pain,” she said.

Langeslag also said there is hope for the heartbroken. She ran two studies to see if people could try to make themselves feel less in love. The strategies that worked? First, it helps to think negative thoughts about the person you are trying to fall out of love with. The downside? “Thinking negatively makes you feel less in love but doesn’t make you feel any better,” Langeslag said. “Worse, actually.”

What then? Distraction. Think of things that make you happy other than the person you are trying to fall out of love with. This made people happier but no less in love.

The solution? The “one-two punch,” as Langeslag described it, or: negative thoughts about the person followed by a dose of distraction.

Her research found that people were able to deliberately decrease their love, but not completely banish it. The average amount of time for healed hurt feelings, according to survey data collected from her subjects, who self-reported, was six months, although the healing time depended on several factors, including how long the relationship lasted.

Rachelle Ramirez, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, can still recall a time when negative associations did the trick for her. When she was 15, she had what felt like an incurable crush on a classmate who was far less interested in her.

“When I say his disinterest was excruciating, it’s often seen as teen melodrama,” said Ramirez, who is now 47. “This assumption doesn’t come close to capturing the pain” she felt when thinking of him.

So how did Ramirez quash it? “I imagined him covered in vomit and holding dead kittens,” she said. “I know it was extreme, and I wouldn’t suggest everyone try this, but it worked for me.”

Some don’t buy into the notion, whether backed by science or not, that willing oneself to fall out of love is possible.

Bethany Cook, a clinical psychologist in Chicago who specializes in neuropsychological assessment, is wary about the notion of being able to control falling out of love.

“Love and affection are basic human needs. We can’t deliberately deny ourselves of it. That would be like saying we could consciously choose to stop breathing,” Cook said. “We don’t have that power, and to pretend we do is a way for the psyche to trick itself into thinking it has control, and is an unhealthy coping mechanism.

“Humans can fall out of love with someone, just not deliberately,” she added. “To suggest that humans deliberately act in a way that depletes a basic need runs contrary to the basic nature of what makes us human and what science tells us about our species.”

It took Ruiz, the marriage therapist, more than a year to successfully fall out of love. He said it took a divorce mediator to help detach from his wife more wholly, as well as immersing himself in activities with friends and family. And the help of a therapist.

“I thank my individual counselor for reminding me that the breakup of a marriage is a two-way street,” he said. “Both my ex-wife and I are held responsible for what happened.”

His therapist “also reminded me that I am human and am as vulnerable to relationship issues as any other person,” he added.

It helps to reframe the notion of falling in or out of love, said Damon L. Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist in New York. “Relationships are conduits for greater energy, joy and fulfillment but are not the lone source,” Jacobs said. Having this mindset, he said, may help you to embrace the pain with more grace and perspective.

“When things don’t work out,” he said, “we know we are still amazing, powerful, fierce, loving people who will continue to grow, love and thrive.”

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated.

In May 2020, Omar Ruiz found himself with a broken heart. “My wife told me she was no longer in love with me,” and shortly thereafter, the couple, who had been married 11 years, separated. Not only was he crushed, he said, but as a marriage and family therapist, “this entire process challenged my professional identity,” said Ruiz, who is 36 and lives in Boston. “How could I help couples when my own marriage is falling apart?” And so he determined that he needed to fall out of love. “People say heartbreak is normal, so we shouldn’t try to fix it,” said Sandra Langeslag, an associate professor of psychological sciences at the University of Missouri-St. Louis who has studied the effects of breakups on the brain. But she points out that there are plenty of common, and even serious, diseases that we try to cure, so “why shouldn’t we try to help people with heartbreak and try to move on?” Heartbreak has inspired music, poetry, visual art, ice-cream-filled listening sessions with friends and even a new hotel. And regardless of the reason — whether death, cognitive impairment, divorce or otherwise — most who experience it hope to recover and maybe even fall in love again with someone new. But what if we actually had some control over the process? Can one deliberately fall out of love? Some of the science says yes. “You can work on it,” said Helen E. Fisher, a biological anthropologist and senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute in New York. She studies the anatomy of love, and in 2005 studied the brain imaging of 100 people using MRIs to pinpoint the circuitry of romantic love. Fisher said she discovered that the same area of the brain associated with hunger and thirst — what is known as the ventral tegmental area, or VTA — becomes activated when you’re in love, making it “a drive, not an emotion.” This biological function makes falling out of love about as hard as trying not to feel thirsty. In other words, it’s not easy. Kisha Mays, 40, who runs a business consultancy in Houston, continued to love her former boyfriend even while he was in prison. They were on and off for years, she said, and got back together for two years before he was released in October 2021. Then two months later, she said, he broke up with her. “Now it is just healing, rebuilding and learning to trust again,” Mays said, noting that reiki and spiritual healing — along with throwing out all of his belongings — have helped. Fisher would agree with Mays’ technique: She suggests treating the recovery process as you would an addiction, and throw out the cards, letters and keepsakes that remind you of the person. Don’t maintain contact or ask mutual friends how that person is doing. “You’re just raising the ghost,” she said. Fisher, who put 17 people who had just been dumped through brain scanners, found activity in the VTA and in brain functions linked to attachment and physical pain. “Not the anxiety linked to physical pain, but physical pain,” she said. Langeslag also said there is hope for the heartbroken. She ran two studies to see if people could try to make themselves feel less in love. The strategies that worked? First, it helps to think negative thoughts about the person you are trying to fall out of love with. The downside? “Thinking negatively makes you feel less in love but doesn’t make you feel any better,” Langeslag said. “Worse, actually.” What then? Distraction. Think of things that make you happy other than the person you are trying to fall out of love with. This made people happier but no less in love. The solution? The “one-two punch,” as Langeslag described it, or: negative thoughts about the person followed by a dose of distraction. Her research found that people were able to deliberately decrease their love, but not completely banish it. The average amount of time for healed hurt feelings, according to survey data collected from her subjects, who self-reported, was six months, although the healing time depended on several factors, including how long the relationship lasted. Rachelle Ramirez, a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon, can still recall a time when negative associations did the trick for her. When she was 15, she had what felt like an incurable crush on a classmate who was far less interested in her. “When I say his disinterest was excruciating, it’s often seen as teen melodrama,” said Ramirez, who is now 47. “This assumption doesn’t come close to capturing the pain” she felt when thinking of him. So how did Ramirez quash it? “I imagined him covered in vomit and holding dead kittens,” she said. “I know it was extreme, and I wouldn’t suggest everyone try this, but it worked for me.” Some don’t buy into the notion, whether backed by science or not, that willing oneself to fall out of love is possible. Bethany Cook, a clinical psychologist in Chicago who specializes in neuropsychological assessment, is wary about the notion of being able to control falling out of love. “Love and affection are basic human needs. We can’t deliberately deny ourselves of it. That would be like saying we could consciously choose to stop breathing,” Cook said. “We don’t have that power, and to pretend we do is a way for the psyche to trick itself into thinking it has control, and is an unhealthy coping mechanism. “Humans can fall out of love with someone, just not deliberately,” she added. “To suggest that humans deliberately act in a way that depletes a basic need runs contrary to the basic nature of what makes us human and what science tells us about our species.” It took Ruiz, the marriage therapist, more than a year to successfully fall out of love. He said it took a divorce mediator to help detach from his wife more wholly, as well as immersing himself in activities with friends and family. And the help of a therapist. “I thank my individual counselor for reminding me that the breakup of a marriage is a two-way street,” he said. “Both my ex-wife and I are held responsible for what happened.” His therapist “also reminded me that I am human and am as vulnerable to relationship issues as any other person,” he added. It helps to reframe the notion of falling in or out of love, said Damon L. Jacobs, a marriage and family therapist in New York. “Relationships are conduits for greater energy, joy and fulfillment but are not the lone source,” Jacobs said. Having this mindset, he said, may help you to embrace the pain with more grace and perspective. “When things don’t work out,” he said, “we know we are still amazing, powerful, fierce, loving people who will continue to grow, love and thrive.”

Can we fall out of love?

If one goes by a new study, middle-aged and older women are around 10 times more likely to get diagnosed with broken heart syndrome than younger women or men of any age. &nbsp;

The rare condition has become common and has been rising steadily well before Covid pandemic, said the research. &nbsp;

According to the study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, the painful feeling now comes with a severe diagnosis. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/into-the-plastisphere-scientists-comb-japan-waters-to-study-new-eco-threat-423710" hreflang="en">Into the 'plastisphere': Scientists comb Japan waters to study new eco threat</a>

This study shows how heart and brain react together when things like anxiety or stress are present. &nbsp;

The broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo syndrome can also mirror a heart attack leading to chest pains and shortness of breath after the heart muscles weaken. &nbsp;

Dr Susan Cheng, a researcher at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai in California, US, who led the study, said, “It is triggered by stress or loss and can lead to long-term heart injury and impaired heart function. It generally happens after a severe emotional or physical event, such as a break-up, car accident or even a surprise birthday party.” &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/drifting-into-trouble-the-tiny-ocean-creatures-with-a-global-impact-423704" hreflang="en">Drifting into trouble? The tiny ocean creatures with a global impact</a>

The study revealed that men and women alike have experienced broken heart syndrome at rising rates in recent years, while women from the age of 50 to 74 years have seen the highest hike. &nbsp;&nbsp;

From 2006 to 2017, 135,463 cases of broken heart syndrome were reported in the United States. Around 88.3 per cent of these cases were in older women. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

If one goes by a new study, middle-aged and older women are around 10 times more likely to get diagnosed with broken heart syndrome than younger women or men of any age.

If one goes by a new study, middle-aged and older women are around 10 times more likely to get diagnosed with broken heart syndrome than younger women or men of any age. The rare condition has become common and has been rising steadily well before Covid pandemic, said the research. According to the study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, the painful feeling now comes with a severe diagnosis. Also Read | Into the 'plastisphere': Scientists comb Japan waters to study new eco threat This study shows how heart and brain react together when things like anxiety or stress are present. The broken heart syndrome or Takotsubo syndrome can also mirror a heart attack leading to chest pains and shortness of breath after the heart muscles weaken. Dr Susan Cheng, a researcher at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai in California, US, who led the study, said, “It is triggered by stress or loss and can lead to long-term heart injury and impaired heart function. It generally happens after a severe emotional or physical event, such as a break-up, car accident or even a surprise birthday party.” Also Read: Drifting into trouble? The tiny ocean creatures with a global impact The study revealed that men and women alike have experienced broken heart syndrome at rising rates in recent years, while women from the age of 50 to 74 years have seen the highest hike. From 2006 to 2017, 135,463 cases of broken heart syndrome were reported in the United States. Around 88.3 per cent of these cases were in older women. (With inputs from agencies)

Older women highly likely to suffer broken heart syndrome than young men, women, says study

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high&nbsp;risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”.

Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber. First identified in 1990 in Japan, the syndrome is mistaken for cardiac arrests due to similar symptoms.

What did scientists find?

Scientists recently found two high stress molecules responsible for causing the broken heart syndrome, which mostly affects women after menopause and is caused in the aftermath of sever stress and loss.

Besides imitating the symptoms of a heart attack, the syndrome poses risks of similar complications. The worst part? Doctors are unsure what causes it. But it seems likely that a broken heart drives the ailment. High levels of stress causes by loss of a loved one, accidents, natural disasters and even events like weddings could be causing a loss of movement in the heart wall, which accelerates the failure of the organ.

The molecules linked to depression, stress and anxiety, called&nbsp;microRNA-16 and microRNA-26a were detected in patients with broken heart syndrome.

How did they find it?

To understand the link, the researchers exposed cells from human hearts and rat hearts to both the molecules. The scientists wrote in Cardiovascular Research that both sets of hearts were consequentially more sensitive to adrenaline after being exposed to this molecules.

Dr Liam Couch, the lead study author from Imperial College London told The Guardian that among patients with broken heart syndrome, the upper portion of the heart beats more while the lower part stops beating.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/us-studying-cases-of-heart-inflammation-among-youngsters-who-received-covid-jabs-386840" hreflang="en">US studying cases of heart inflammation among youngsters who received Covid jabs</a>

The findings claim that long-term stress&nbsp; caused by sudden shock could cause broken heart syndrome among people. Even then, diagnosing takotsubo among patients is difficult. In the long-term, the study could shed light on groups that have a higher chance of developing the syndrome and ways in which it can be avoided and managed.

Some scientists even think that drugs which effectively block the heartbreaking molecules could prevent escalation of the condition.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/science/now-a-3d-heart-scan-to-fast-track-diagnosis-of-heart-disease-382728" hreflang="en">Now, a 3D heart scan to fast-track diagnosis of heart disease</a>

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”. Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber.

Have you been feeling extremely stressed lately? Scientists believe you could be at high risk of developing “broken heart syndrome”. Formally known as “takotsubo cardiomyopathy”, the syndrome causes weakening of heart’s pumping chamber. First identified in 1990 in Japan, the syndrome is mistaken for cardiac arrests due to similar symptoms. What did scientists find? Scientists recently found two high stress molecules responsible for causing the broken heart syndrome, which mostly affects women after menopause and is caused in the aftermath of sever stress and loss. Besides imitating the symptoms of a heart attack, the syndrome poses risks of similar complications. The worst part? Doctors are unsure what causes it. But it seems likely that a broken heart drives the ailment. High levels of stress causes by loss of a loved one, accidents, natural disasters and even events like weddings could be causing a loss of movement in the heart wall, which accelerates the failure of the organ. The molecules linked to depression, stress and anxiety, called microRNA-16 and microRNA-26a were detected in patients with broken heart syndrome. How did they find it? To understand the link, the researchers exposed cells from human hearts and rat hearts to both the molecules. The scientists wrote in Cardiovascular Research that both sets of hearts were consequentially more sensitive to adrenaline after being exposed to this molecules. Dr Liam Couch, the lead study author from Imperial College London told The Guardian that among patients with broken heart syndrome, the upper portion of the heart beats more while the lower part stops beating. Also read: US studying cases of heart inflammation among youngsters who received Covid jabs The findings claim that long-term stress caused by sudden shock could cause broken heart syndrome among people. Even then, diagnosing takotsubo among patients is difficult. In the long-term, the study could shed light on groups that have a higher chance of developing the syndrome and ways in which it can be avoided and managed. Some scientists even think that drugs which effectively block the heartbreaking molecules could prevent escalation of the condition. Also read: Now, a 3D heart scan to fast-track diagnosis of heart disease

Feeling stressed? You could be at high risk of developing 'broken heart syndrome'