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Can your heart actually break?
The term “heart broken” gets thrown around a lot- and I think it’s safe to say that people don’t mean it literally. It isn’t used to literally convey that one’s heart is actually broken. Instead, we use this term as a way to describe an emotional state of being- rather than a physical state of being. More specifically: an emotional state of being deeply saddened by a perceived tragedy; to be emotionally broken…
…but can a heart actually break?
We usually use the term “heart broken” to describe ourselves, or someone, who is suffering from the loss of a romantic relationship- a breakup. But it also can be used to describe other losses. Like the death of a loved one, or loss of an endangered species, or global conflict resulting in death and destruction.
The key word here: loss.
Scientific research has proven that a disruption to social bonds can cause psychological and physiological disturbances to an organism.
When we use the term “heart break” this is what we are describing. We are describing the felt experience of our minds and bodies, in reaction to a loss. The loss of social bond. The loss of connection. Whether that was to a romantic partner, to a family member or a friend, a pet, or to whole group of people.
