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Why do we feel heartbreak?

Love is a powerful emotion and can lead us to go to extremes for the people we care about. But when that relationship breaks down, why do we feel such pain?

Heartbreak after love lost has been written about for generations. Who can forget the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet? Or how Rose lost Jack in Titanic? Some of our favourite songs were inspired by heartbreak and as most of us have felt heartbreak in one form or another, relating to their words comes easy. But what causes these feelings? Is it all a figment of our imagination prompted by our society and culture or is there more to it than that? Can we fall sick or even die from a broken heart? And what does science have to say about it?

(Photo: Broken Heart. Credit: Getty Images)

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 16 Feb 2020 05:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 3 Sep 2018 12:32GMT
  • Mon 3 Sep 2018 21:06GMT
  • Tue 4 Sep 2018 01:32GMT
  • Mon 10 Sep 2018 05:32GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2020 09:06GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2020 13:32GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2020 18:06GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2020 21:06GMT
  • Mon 10 Feb 2020 23:06GMT
  • Tue 11 Feb 2020 02:32GMT
  • Tue 11 Feb 2020 03:32GMT
  • Sun 16 Feb 2020 05:32GMT

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