7 Scary ways a broken heart physically destroys you

6. You Feel Physical Pain

For years I’d listen to love songs and wonder how people could be so dramatic, then I experienced it for the first time myself — I felt like I swallowed needles after I figured out my boyfriend and I were over. But then I thought I might be a little delusional, until this: New research found that during a breakup, the brain essentially triggers sensations that you usually feel in moments ofactual physical pain.

It may prompt a number of physical effects, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, stomach pain, loss of sleep, and depression.

See, heartache is more literal than you ever imagined.