Heartbreak, it seems, is really capable of breaking your body, specifically, your brain, the Associated Press reported on March 29, 2011.

The regions of the brain that respond to physical pain overlap with those that react to social rejection, according to a new study that used brain imaging on people involved in romantic breakups, the report said.

"These results give new meaning to the idea that rejection 'hurts,'" wrote psychology professor Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and his colleagues.

 "In a way, we're saying it's not a metaphor," co-author Edward Smith of Columbia University said during a telephone interview. He explained that the research shows that psychological or social events can affect regions of the brain that scientists thought were dedicated to physical pain.

Previous studies had not shown a relationship between physical and emotional pain, but those had used a less dramatic event, such as simply being told someone doesn't like you, Smith said. In this case, the volunteers were people who had actually been rejected and were still feeling it, he said.

There is evidence that emotional stress, such as the loss of a loved one, can affect people physically, and Smith said studies like this may help researchers devise ways to aid people who are sensitive to loss or rejection.