Broken Heart Science: What Happens to Brain and Body

Level: B1

Printable: Student handout (PDF) | Teacher’s key (PDF)

Reading

“Heartbreak” compares love to something that can break, like a bone or a cup. Scientists now ask a more serious question: after a breakup, is the pain only emotional, or does the body suffer real, measurable distress? Studies suggest both, but some early findings now look less certain.

In a 2005 study, US researchers including Helen Fisher scanned the brains of people deeply in love. When they saw a photo of their partner, brain areas that use dopamine, a chemical connected to pleasure and reward, became more active. A breakup takes that reward away. The body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, may also rise. In a small 2021 study in Germany, cortisol was measured in hair samples from 101 women. Recently separated women had more cortisol than women in long relationships. However, single women and women newly in love also had more, so a breakup was not the only cause. Stress can trigger poor sleep and a smaller appetite.

In a 2003 study at the University of California, Los Angeles, volunteers played a ball-tossing game called Cyberball inside a brain scanner. After a few throws, the other two “players” stopped throwing the ball to them. During this small rejection, the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region linked to physical pain, was activated. The lead researcher, Naomi Eisenberger, concluded that social pain and physical pain may share the same warning system in the brain. Later research questioned this idea. In 2014, a team led by Choong-Wan Woo studied 60 people who felt painful heat and also saw photos of an ex-partner. Both experiences used the same general brain areas, but the detailed activity was different.

Heartbreak can also affect the heart itself. In rare cases, sudden emotional shock, such as the end of a relationship or the death of a partner, can lead to a condition first identified in Japan in 1990 by the cardiologist Hikaru Sato. Its name, takotsubo, means octopus trap, because the heart’s main pumping chamber balloons into that shape. A surge of stress hormones weakens part of the heart muscle. The condition, often called “broken heart syndrome,” is usually temporary, and most people recover within days or weeks. Sad news is not the only cause: surgery or a serious illness can also bring it on. A 2025 US study of nearly 200,000 hospital patients found that 83 percent were women. Most patients survived, but men were about twice as likely to die.

The brain’s reaction to rejection can resemble addiction. In a 2010 study, Fisher and her team scanned the brains of fifteen people who had recently been rejected by a partner but said they were still in love. When these people looked at a photo of their former partner, brain regions linked to drug craving became active. Fisher’s team argued that rejection in love can work like a kind of withdrawal. This idea may explain the obsession some people develop with an ex-partner’s messages, but it has not been proven.

Slowly, most people recover. In Fisher’s study, people who had been rejected longer ago showed less activity in a brain area linked to attachment. Some psychologists also use the work of the British psychiatrist John Bowlby. He described a “protest” stage, when a person refuses to accept a loss and searches for what is missing. The model was built from studies of young children separated from a parent, not romantic couples, but researchers have since applied a similar pattern to adult breakups. For most people, strong feelings gradually weaken, and the craving fades. Scientists still do not agree on how long a full recovery usually takes.

Vocabulary

Each word has a frequency score, a rank, and a tag. The score shows how common the word is in modern English: higher means more common, and each full point means roughly ten times more common. The rank is the word’s position on a list of about 321,000 English word forms, from most to least common. The tag shows where you are most likely to meet the word: Current, Formal, Literary, or Dated. The paragraph number shows where the word first appears in the reading. The labels are information, not instructions. Deciding which words are worth your time is up to you. How to read the scores, ranks, and tags.

After a breakup, is the pain only emotional, or does the body suffer real, measurable distress?
She called her sister in distress after losing her passport at the airport.

Brain areas that use dopamine became more active when people looked at a photo of their partner.
Eating a favorite food gives most people a small burst of dopamine.

Dopamine is a chemical connected to pleasure and reward.
Finishing the marathon felt like its own reward.

The body’s main stress hormone, cortisol, may also rise after a breakup.
A stressful week at work can raise a person’s cortisol levels.

Stress can trigger poor sleep and a smaller appetite.
Loud noises trigger her headaches.

During this small rejection, the anterior cingulate cortex was activated.
He tried to stay calm after the rejection of his job application.

The anterior cingulate cortex, a brain region linked to physical pain, was activated.
The fire alarm was activated by a small amount of smoke.

A surge of stress hormones weakens part of the heart muscle.
There was a surge in electricity prices last winter.

The condition is usually temporary, and most people recover within days or weeks.
He took a temporary job while he looked for something permanent.

Brain regions linked to drug craving became active.
She had a sudden craving for chocolate after dinner.

Fisher’s team argued that rejection in love can work like a kind of withdrawal.
Withdrawal from caffeine can cause headaches for a day or two.

This idea may explain the obsession some people develop with an ex-partner’s messages.
His obsession with tidiness meant he cleaned the kitchen every day.

Researchers have since applied a similar pattern to adult breakups.
The teacher noticed a pattern in the students’ mistakes.

For most people, strong feelings gradually weaken.
The sky gradually grew darker as the storm approached.

The craving fades over time.
The color of the curtains fades a little more every summer.

Activity Page

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Speed Challenge

Answer 12 questions against the clock. Every wrong answer adds 5 seconds, and the lowest score wins. Open the speed challenge in a new tab.

Shadow Reading and Typing: After the Breakup

This short text uses many of the words from this lesson. Use it for shadow reading (reading aloud along with a model) and for typing practice.

Last year, my girlfriend ended our relationship after three years. I was in real distress for weeks. I could not sleep well, and I did not want to eat. At the time, I thought it was only sadness. Later, I read that stress can trigger these problems in the body.

I also learned a little about the science of rejection. Some studies suggest that love uses dopamine, a brain chemical connected to reward. When a relationship ends, that reward is gone. Scientists also think a stress hormone called cortisol may rise. This helped me understand why I felt so bad.

The hardest part was the craving. I checked her old messages again and again, and it almost became an obsession. One researcher has compared this feeling to a kind of withdrawal, but the idea is not proven. Every time I saw her photo, I felt a surge of sadness, as if old memories were activated all over again. Finally, I deleted the pictures from my phone.

My friends told me that the pain would be temporary, and they were right. Slowly, I noticed a pattern: good days became more common, and bad days became shorter. My feelings gradually changed, and now the craving fades a little more each month. I do not know how long a full recovery takes, and scientists do not agree either. But today, I feel much better.

How to practice

Read the text silently once and check any words you are unsure of.
Read it aloud slowly, one sentence at a time. On the typing page, the Listen button reads each line with your device’s voice, so you can listen first and then repeat.
Shadow: read aloud again at a natural speed, trying to keep a steady rhythm without stopping.
Record yourself, listen back, and note one sentence to practice again.
Type it on the typing page below and check your speed and accuracy.

Open the typing practice in a new tab

Comprehension Questions

According to the reading, is heartbreak only an emotional experience, or can it also be physical? Explain.
What did the 2021 hair study in Germany find about cortisol, and why does the reading say a breakup was not the only cause?
Describe the 2003 Cyberball study. What did Naomi Eisenberger conclude, and how did the 2014 study question this?
What is takotsubo cardiomyopathy, and where and when was it first identified?
According to the 2025 US study, who usually gets broken heart syndrome, and who is more likely to die from it?
What did Helen Fisher’s 2010 study find about the brains of recently rejected people?
How might Fisher’s idea explain why some people check an ex-partner’s messages again and again? How certain is this explanation?
What is the “protest” stage in John Bowlby’s model, and how has it been applied to adult breakups?
In your own words, summarize what the reading says happens to the body and brain as a person recovers from heartbreak.

IELTS-Style Questions

True, False, or Not Given: “Takotsubo cardiomyopathy always causes permanent damage to the heart.” Explain your answer using evidence from the reading.
Yes, No, or Not Given: “The writer believes the 2003 Cyberball study proved that social pain and physical pain are the same.” Explain your answer using evidence from the reading.
Author’s purpose: Why does the writer end the reading by saying that scientists do not agree on how long recovery usually takes? Is the aim to reassure the reader, to admit the limits of current research, or to criticize earlier studies?

AI Discussion Prompt

I just read a B1 level article about the science of heartbreak, including dopamine and cortisol research, a 2003 study on social rejection and a 2014 study that questioned it, a heart condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a 2010 study on rejection and craving, and John Bowlby’s ‘protest’ stage. I am an English learner at about B1 level. Please ask me one question at a time, starting with whether I have ever felt a physical reaction to an emotional loss. Use simple language, respond to my ideas first, then briefly correct any language errors, and ask follow-up questions that make me explain my reasons.

AI Vocabulary Prompt

I want to practice vocabulary from an article about the science of heartbreak. Please quiz me on the following words one at a time, using a mix of question types: multiple choice, true/false, and sentence completion. Give me feedback after each answer before moving on, and bring back the words I miss later. Here are the words: distress, dopamine, reward, cortisol, trigger, rejection, activated, surge, temporary, craving, withdrawal, obsession, pattern, gradually, fades.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever felt a physical symptom, such as a stomachache or trouble sleeping, during an emotional difficulty?
Do you think the pain of rejection feels similar to physical pain? Why or why not?
In your culture, what is common advice for someone who has just experienced a breakup?
Do you think checking an ex-partner’s social media makes recovery easier or harder? Why?
The reading compares heartbreak to a kind of withdrawal. Do you find that comparison convincing?
Should schools or workplaces treat emotional pain, such as heartbreak, as seriously as physical illness?
Why do you think heartbreak is such a common subject in music, film, and literature worldwide?
Is it possible to feel heartbreak over something other than a romantic partner, such as a friendship, a pet, or a move to a new country?
The 2003 study used a simple computer game to create a feeling of rejection. What other situations in daily life might create a similar feeling?
If a friend told you they were checking an ex-partner’s messages every day, what would you say to them?
Broken heart syndrome is more common in women, but men are more likely to die from it. What questions would you want researchers to answer next?
The reading says scientists do not agree on how long recovery usually takes. Why might this be hard to measure?
Would knowing the biology behind heartbreak change how you cope with a difficult breakup?
Some people avoid new relationships for a long time after heartbreak, while others move on quickly. What do you think explains the difference?

Language Focus: Passive Voice

What it is: The passive voice puts the focus on what happens to something, not on who or what causes it. It is formed with a form of ‘to be’ plus a past participle: was measured, was activated, was built.

Why writers use it: Science writing often uses the passive voice because the process or result matters more than who performed the action. It also lets a writer describe something whose cause is a general system, like the body or the brain, rather than one specific person.

Examples from the reading:

“In a small 2021 study in Germany, cortisol was measured in hair samples from 101 women.”
“…the anterior cingulate cortex…was activated.”
“…a condition first identified in Japan in 1990 by the cardiologist Hikaru Sato.”
“The model was built from studies of young children…”

Practice task: Rewrite this sentence in the passive voice: “Researchers scanned the brains of fifteen rejected people.”

(Example answer: “The brains of fifteen rejected people were scanned by researchers.”)

Recommended Resources

How to Fix a Broken Heart (Guy Winch, TED). A psychologist’s talk on why heartbreak feels so intense and how people recover.
Study Finds Romantic Rejection Stimulates Areas of Brain Involved in Motivation, Reward and Addiction (Rutgers University). A short news release on Helen Fisher’s 2010 brain-scan study of people who had just been rejected.
Social Pain, Physical Pain: Different After All? (Discover). A blog post on how researchers changed their minds about whether rejection and physical pain use the same brain circuits.
Broken Heart Syndrome (Cleveland Clinic). A patient-focused explanation of takotsubo cardiomyopathy, its causes, and its triggers.
The Risk of Death or Complications From Broken Heart Syndrome Was High From 2016 to 2020 (American Heart Association). A report on the 2025 study behind the mortality figures used in paragraph 4.