You Really Can Die From a Broken Heart

Grief brought on by the loss of a spouse can lead to premature death

Losing a spouse does more than wound the heart, it can bring the body to an early death. Omar Alnahi/Pexels

For a new study, researchers examined the effect grief has on human health by conducting interviews with and examining the blood of 99 people whose spouses had recently died.

They compared people who showed symptoms of elevated grief—such as pining for the deceased, difficulty moving on, a sense that life is meaningless, and an inability to accept the reality of the loss—to people who did not exhibit those behaviors.