Body's Response to Breakup as Survival Instinct

The body perceives a breakup as a threat to survival, triggering the fight or flight response or a state of shock. This evolutionary instinct of perceiving abandonment as danger is still active today. The body releases hormones to prepare to face the threat and physical symptoms may arise. The loss of a partner is not just mental, but also physical, as the body reacts to the absence of support, trust, and validation. The brain's struggle to comprehend survival without the partner triggers an ancient physical and cognitive reaction.