Emotions might come from the brain, but they often hit us in the heart. That’s particularly true for grief, especially the shattering, life-altering kind; the tsunami of anguish that follows a loved ones’ death can feel like a physical force inhabiting our chests.

In some cases, a broken heart can even transcend metaphor, as with the rarely-seen Takotsubo Syndrome, also known as Broken Heart Syndrome. Sudden onslaughts of intense emotion can in some cases rapidly weaken the heart’s muscle