The Heartbreak Paradox

Florence Williams (@flowill) is a journalist and the author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, and Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.

• How "real" is heartbreak? Real enough that our brains react to the emotional pain of heartbreak in the same way they react to physical pain.
• The chronic loneliness brought about by heartbreak can increase the risk of early death by as much as 26 percent.
• Just as you wouldn't expect results from "wishing" a toothache away, ignoring the distress caused by heartbreak can exacerbate existing medical problems and create new ones — from inflammation to diabetes, heart disease, and irritable bowel syndrome.
• Differences between the causes and symptoms of heartbreak as typically experienced by women and men.
• What we can do to mitigate the pain if we find ourselves suffering from heartbreak.
• And much more...

Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/790

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Miss our conversation with evolutionary social psychologist Dr. Sarah Hill? Catch up with episode 280: Sarah Hill | This Is Your Brain on Birth Control here!

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