The human heart and the brain being among the main organs in blood circulation in the body, plays an important role as far as human life is concerned (Mehler, 64). Therefore any damages on these important organs pose a big problem that in most cases become irreversible. Some of the noted damages things that cause an effect on the heart and brain are issues to do with emotion, like heartbreak. According to Payton, (27) heartbreak is a natural phenomenon experienced by many people globally.

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Science of heartbreak
Introduction
The human heart and the brain being among the main organs in blood circulation in the body,
plays an important role as far as human life is concerned (Mehler, 64). Therefore any damages
on these important organs pose a big problem that in most cases become irreversible. Some of
the noted damages things that cause an effect on the heart and brain are issues to do with
emotion, like heartbreak. According to Payton, (27) heartbreak is a natural phenomenon
experienced by many people globally. It is noted that almost everybody in the world who has
gone through a relationship must have experienced heartbreak. Heart break can be caused by
many conditions and is closely linked to loss of love one. There are different types of love, for
instance, friendship love, love for pets, money and material things, wild animals for music and
among others. Loss of such mentioned things leads to heartbreak. In this paper, the focus will be
on heartbreak resulting from the intimate relationship between individual of opposite sex. In an
attempt to explore more, this paper discusses the science behind the heartbreak. Despite many
individual being victims of this problem, there are possibilities of their less understanding of
what normal happens while in such condition. In the discussion, the following will be focused.

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Causes of heartbreak, a physiological process that leads to heartbreak and various stages of
heartbreak.
Causes of heartbreak
Heartbreak refers to a great sadness and suffering individual experiences after losing
something or someone him or her treasures much. Many issues can cause heartbreak. The
following include some of the causes of this problem. The first one is a loss of loved ones like a
marriage partner or the closest friend or even a relative. Having established a strong bond with
somebody or to something can lead to extreme feelings of loss when such thing or person gets
out of reach. The second cause is betrayal or disappointment from the person an individual
values most (Stroebe, et al, 457). Betrayal which is the violation of an agreement, or trust and
even confidence causes a lot of emotional torture which results to heartbreak. A good example is
an infidelity in a relationship by one of the partner. It is normal that an individual passes through
a painful experience after discovering that one of the partners in a relationship is unfaithful.
Individuals who are at risk of suffering from heartbreak include teenagers who are actively
involved in a relationship. It is noted during adolescent young people tend to get engaged in
many relationships in response to increased peer pressure as well as for self-discovery purposes
(Stroebe, et al, 457). Also, those youth or individuals who are looking for the rightful marriage
partners are potential victims of heartbreak. It is noted that before an individual gets the rightful
marriage partner, he or she passes through tough journey of searching which tends to have a
series of betrayal and relationship breakage.
Physiological process that leads to heartbreak

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It is evident that all relationship has its ending style. Some end smoothly while others end
spontaneously like fire. However, the effects of a broken relationship between the involved
parties are the same. This means that they all experience heartbreak although the way it is
handled depends on the individual. Just like physical pain, emotional pain is too painful. The
human body responds variously towards various stimuli. For instance, the experience of pain
comes as result of mind responses towards internal trouble (Wilson, et al, 261). Also Wilson, et
al, (261) argued that emotion is the response of the body to the external stimuli. The following
include some of the series that occur during heartbreak. Once an individual feels a loss, of
something, a lot of physiological processes occurs in the body. First, changes in the circulation of
the blood in the brain occur due to hormonal changes. This, in turn, makes anterior part of the
brain called cortex to be more active (Donadio, Para 11). It is noted that this part of the brain
called cortex is responsible for regulating physical pain. As a result a person begins feeling pain
though cannot be more severe as the case is during physical pain. Also, fear and grief resulting
from loss Stimulate secretion of adrenaline and stress hormone by adrenal glands. This hormone
in turns lowers the pumping ability of the heart. With reduced pumping capacity of the heart, the
following are experienced. First, the person experiences chest pain. Secondly, there is an
experience of symptoms related to heart attack. Depression and stress are common among
individual suffering from heartbreak and with extreme cases it leads to the development of
cardiovascular health problems.
It is noted that an individual suffering from heartbreak manifests various symptoms. The
following include some of them, headache, loss of appetite, panic, and loss of interest even in
doing things which an individual love most. Also, the person shows signs of, loneliness,

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depression, fatigue, hopelessness and in most cases the person can begin drinking alcohol or
even get involved in drug abuses.
Various stages of heartbreak
It is noted that heartbreak is not a spontaneous occasion, but it unfolds in various stages.
These stages are similar to that individual who are mourning. The following include the stages of
heartbreak. The first one is a denial and shock. At this stage, an individual fails to accept the
reality of having lost the beloved one. The stage is characterized by shock and un-acceptance of
having lost the person. This stage is followed by pain, and guilty (Crunk, et al. 227). The victim
begins to regret about where he or she could have gone wrong during the relationship. It is
followed by anger stage which involves releasing of emotions. The affected person begins
questioning himself or herself why such things happened. The fourth stage is characterized by
depression and loneliness. An individual becomes sad and in most cases isolates from others in
an attempt to have time to reflect on the past events. There is a feeling of emptiness as an
individual tries to accept the magnitude of the loss incurred (Crunk, et al. 227). The final stage is
acceptance. At this stage, an individual comes to the reality of the situation, and he or she
realizes that indeed the loss had occurred therefore the best thing is to focus on the future.
Conclusion
Heartbreak refers to a great sadness and suffering an individual experiences after losing
something or someone him or her treasures much. The first one is loss of loved one like a
marriage partner or the closest friend or even a relative. Also, can be caused by betrayal or
disappointment from the person an individual values most. Heartbreak occurs in five stages,

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denial and shock. pain and guilty. Anger, depression and loneliness finally acceptance is the
path to end grief.

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Work cited
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Perceived Death Quality: Qualitative Findings." Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, vol. 74, no.
2, Dec. 2016, pp. 260-274. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0030222815598442.
Mehler, Robert, E. “How the Circulatory System Works”. London: John Wiley & Sons. 2014.
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Payton, Dave. “Journal to the Truth”. Xulon Press, 2009. Web.
Donadio, Georgianna.“Science behind Heartbreak”. Huffpost. 2016. Website.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgianna-donadio-msc-phd/the-science-of-
heartbreak_b_9511498.html
Crunk, A. Elizabeth, et al. "Complicated Grief: An Evolving Theoretical Landscape." Journal of
Counseling & Development, vol. 95, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 226-233. EBSCOhost,
doi:10.1002/jcad.12134.
Stroebe, Margaret, et al. "Cautioning Health-Care Professionals: Bereaved Persons Are
Misguided through the Stages of Grief." Omega: Journal of Death & Dying, vol. 74, no. 4, Mar.
2017, pp. 455-473. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/0030222817691870.