Love Hurts, A Documentary
Love Hurts, The Documentary
“What can leading research tell us about one of the most powerful and chaotic mental states known to our species? Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak takes the pulse of broken hearts and finds out if science can ease the human feelings of loss, rejection, and betrayal.” (Noble Television)
An Exploration of Heartbreak
Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak is a new fascinating documentary that's just been released in association with CBC's The Nature of Things.
The documentary's host, Anthony Morgan, leads viewers on a fascinating discovery to understand what happens to the human body and mind when experiencing the sorrow and pain of a broken heart. Falling out of love affects so many aspects of human biology and psychology that it remains on the cutting edge of scientific inquiry.
The documentary brings together some of the world’s leading experts and researchers in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and evolutionary biology to get to the heart of heartbreak.
It also includes stories of individuals turning to science to ease their pain and heal their hearts.
Watch the trailer below
Can science cure a broken heart?
Here are a few fascinating treatments and experiments the documentary touches on.
Takotsubo Syndrome, aka "Broken Heart Syndrome"
A broken heart is not just a metaphor. It's a real thing!
Morgan meets with a husband-wife team researching Takotsubo syndrome. They’ve discovered that the emotional stress of heartbreak can mimic the physical symptoms of a heart attack.
Memory Reconsolidation Therapy
Dr. Alain Brunet, a clinical psychologist specializing in memory and trauma, has pioneered a technique that they are now using for the recovery of romantic betrayal.
This treatment, called “reconsolidation therapy,” aims to tone down the strength of traumatic memories by lessening their emotional charge, using a combination of brief psychotherapy and the medication propranolol, a drug widely used to treat high blood pressure.
If this sounds familiar - it is. The science fiction film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind from 2024 was initally based on this research. However, unlike the movie, these researchers are not attempting to help their clients "forget" painful memories but rather turn a traumatic breakup into a bad memory.
Addicted to Love & Heartbreak
According to Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist at the Kinsey Institute and the chief science adviser for the dating site Match.com, love and heartbreak have predictable basic brain systems, such as other emotions like fear and anger.
Through her work scanning people's brains who are in love and heartbroken, she's discovered that the part of the brain that’s activated when we're rejected in love is the same area that's activated when we're madly in love.
“It's an addiction whether you're madly and happily in love or heartbroken.”
Also, interestingly, when you're heartbroken, the regions of the brain associated with physical pain also become active—the very same region that is activated when you have a toothache, for example.
Coping Strategies
While the documentary primarily focuses on the scientific exploration of heartbreak, it also touches on some effective coping strategies, such as fostering supportive relationships and embracing new experiences. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of leaning on our intrinsic coping and healing mechanisms - because, as the neuroscientist Zoe Donaldson states, time doesn’t heal all wounds, our biology does.
Behind the Scenes of the Documentary
If you watch and enjoy the documentary and want to explore it further, I encourage you to watch (or listen) to my interview with Anthony HERE.
We go behind the scenes of this documentary and delve into the application of the science outlined in it to everyday heartbreaks—including whether or not, if given the opportunity, Anthony or I would choose to "erase" our memories. (Spoiler Alert: Surprisingly, we would not! Watch to learn why.)
Heartbreak is Real
Ultimately, as a relationship coach specializing in heartbreak recovery, I cannot recommend this documentary enough. In addition to being highly informative, what I appreciate most about this documentary is how validating it is about the real-life impact of heartbreak by illuminating the physiological and psychological effects of this universal human experience.
A broken heart hurts because, well—it hurts. Figuratively and literally.
I encourage anyone who has loved to watch this documentary to better understand what happens to us when we lose love—whether it's romantic or otherwise. You'll be left with a better understanding of how heartbreak impacts us as humans and how to navigate heartbreak better when you or someone you care about is in the depths of heartache.
As Helen Fisher (the icon) says, "No one gets out of love alive."
View "Love Hurts: The Science of Heartbreak" on CBC Gem for free now.
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Natalia Juarez | The Breakup Coach
Natalia Juarez is a relationship coach specializing in breakups and dating strategy. After going through a broken engagement in 2010, she became obsessed with reimagining heartbreak as an opportunity for transformation. Today, she helps men and women through the entire spectrum of breakups or divorce—helping them recover, initiate a separation, win an ex back, and find new love.
She's been featured in publications worldwide, including Good Morning America, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Guardian, Vice Media, NPR, among major Canadian media.