Why does our heart physically hurt when we feel emotional pain?
No one knows all the mysterious ways that our brain affects our physiology. Emotions are very strange and complex things. Yes, hormones are secreted in response to stressors, and these hormones can make your heart pound, your stomach knot, your palms sweat, etc. These are the typical "fight or flight" response hormones. However, sadness, depression, heartaches of all kinds can very severely affect our health and bodies in ways that no one really understands. Some old married couples exhibit this in an amazing way. When one spouse dies, the other, completely healthy spouse will often die within a month or two of their mate. No one really understands this entirely.
Why can humans physically feel emotions in their hearts? For example, when something upsets you enough that you actually kind of get a pain in your chest as if your heart was literally breaking and vice versa for things that make you extremely happy.
Adrenaline and other hormones and chemicals race through your body when you experience different emotions. They can literally cause physical feelings. There’s a reason people say, “You broke my heart.” It can literally feel physically painful. Individuals who experience depression can have all over body aches and weakness. It’s sad but it can also be a life saver. Fight or flight response from adrenaline can save you from a dangerous situation. Hormones can increase your strength, speed and increase your ability to think clearly and quickly. It’s called being alive and it’s awesome.
Why do people say we feel it in our hearts when we certainly do not feel it there?
How do you know that we don’t feel it in our hearts?The heart contains neurons, about 40,000. That doesn’t mean we can think with our heart but there is a feedback system that links those neurons in the heart and gut with the brain.“It is true that the heart, like the rest of the body, especially the autonomic nervous system, provides sensory feedback to our brains. This can affect our emotions – when something physical is happening to our body we can feel anxious or depressed. Pain itself is a physical sensation that carries with it a specific emotional response, because pain pathways specifically send signal to the limbic system to create the negative emotional response to pain.In the same way, in addition to anxiety making our heart race, when our heart races that makes us feel anxious. There is an obvious adaptive function here – our brains respond emotionally to the condition of our bodies, which might be telling us about a threat or danger.”Brain Cells in the Heart?So in a way, maybe we do feel a little bit with our heart, at least metaphorically or in a loosely connected way.The true answer is that as the article above mentions, various “gurus” have latched onto this scientific factoid and used it as “proof” that the heart and gut have wisdom.
Why do we feel our emotions/feelings in the heart if they are chemical reactions in the brain?
Very good question, and one that is not widely understood. Or believed. They're called feelings for a reason. We actually feel them in our bodies. It’s not just an emotion, it’s not just a mood, it’s an actual physical sensation.That’s because, whatever you believe may have been before and may come after, in this world, in this dimension, it’s a package deal. The mind and body are inextricably interwoven. One does not exist without the other. In fact, if you do believe in other dimensions and life without a body, this is the one thing we can do in this dimension that is impossible to do in any other: feel. My own belief is that that’s a lot of the purpose of this existence.What starts out as a chemical reaction in the brain is immediately translated into physical sensation. As a former massage therapist, I am well acquainted with this truth. This is why if we’re upset about something, we tend to feel better if we cry without restraint or run as fast as we can or yell and scream, whatever. That way, it is released from the body. Otherwise, it is stored, primarily in the form of muscle pain and tension. Which is what most people do, which is why most people’s bodies fall apart so quickly.Conversely, everything that happens to you physically immediately affects your mood. That’s one reason standing up straight is so good for you. How do you feel good about yourself if you’re stooped over? Ever tried to be happy if you don’t smile? I went through this when I had stitches in my face. I was unable to smile without pulling at them and I had a hard time staying in a good mood that week. And if you smile really broadly, it’s almost impossible to stay in a bad mood.I am sure you could find more detailed scientific explanations, but it comes back to what I said at first: They’re called feelings for a reason.
My gf and i can feel each others emotions when were away?
There are a lot of things that this could be. Coming from a broad perspective, it sounds like you are very close. Being close to a person for an extended amount of time can result in the things that you have described. On a more direct note, something that sortof tags along with your close relationship...you could be experiencing a very broad telepathic experience. You can't read eachother's minds word for word, but you can feel eachother's emotions...to me, this sounds like, due to the closeness of your relationship, you have a bond that may surpass physical limits. This doesn't happen for everyone. You may also just be experiencing something completely coincidential (if you would rather believe that coincidences happen; however, I don't believe in coincidence. ) Of course, you would know your own personal experiences, so I suggest that you start researching telepathy and see what you come up with. I have provided some useful websites.
Why are emotions felt in the chest?
We refer to emotions as pertaining to the heart,a broken heart,a full heart, etc because emotions are felt a physical sensations in the chest and abdomen. A broken heart feels like a powerful ache in the chest. Why is this?
Why do I feel physical pain when I'm upset?
Our body and our mind are connected. When we get upset, our muscles in different areas of our body start to tighten. If they become tense past a certain point, we experience this as pain. The English language is full of expressions that express this, such as: “He is a pain in the neck.”Many studies on pain relief have shown that physical relaxation diminishes pain. When we relax our muscles and breath slowly, deeply and evenly, our mind interprets this as: “All is well. There is nothing to fear. We are safe.” Wheras, fear does the opposite and increases our perception of pain.Pain is simply a signal that tells us all is not well and we need to take some action. I found it interesting to learn how important pain is as a body signal that we need to change position, for example. I have read that lepers lose their fingers because they first lose their pain perception so they do not receive the message that they need to move their hand off a hot stove or simply stretch their fingers to restore circulation.Modern brain research suggests that psychological pain and physical pain both register in the same section of the brain. Pain is pain, and it hurts, whether it starts with our mental and emotional reactions and goes from there to our body, or begins in the body and then affects our emotions. Fear and anger create pain and pain can create fear and anger.Elinor Greenberg, PhD, CGPIn private practice in NYC and the author of the book: Borderline, Narcissistic, and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration, and Safety.www.elinorgreenberg.com
If my heart actually physically hurts when i think about someone, what is that?
Um... unnatural? OOOOOOOOOOOh your HEART hurts! Whoops I thought you said head haha my bad. I guess I really don't have anything for you; sorry :( I suppose it could be really intense love (or just some really intense feeling you get from thinking about her). Although there's scientific evidence stating that the heart doesn't actually have anything to do with love, thinking about something for which you have such strong feelings could stress you out, raise your heart rate, etc., resulting in heart/chest pain. Just try to remind yourself how good it is to have her as a friend, and don't think so much about loving her and its consequences. I know it seems *really* hard, but it is just barely possible, trust me. I think I know exactly how you feel (minus the physical pain). Just try to be as good of friends with her as you can possibly be; it sounds like it's the best thing you can do for both of you right now. Sorry to hear about this, and I really hope it works out for you.