 Vanessa Van Edwards, founder at Science of People and author of Captivate, The Science of Succeeding with People, surveyed some Twitter followers with the question, Would you rather break an arm or be broken up with? 76% said they would rather break an arm while 24% said they would rather be broken up with. Of course, breaking an arm is more painful than breaking hearts but then it shows without doubt why heart breaks hurt so much. As Vanessa puts it, for most people, the metaphorical breaking of our hearts hurts worse than physical pain and there is a science to back this up. A research authored by Naomi Eisenberger titled The Neurobases of Social Pain, evidence for shared representations with physical pain, discovered that social pain such as being rejected while let down by others and physical pain are felt in the same parts of the brain. This indicates that the brain can tell the difference between the pain of a breakup and the pain of a broken arm. Also, a research published by Ethan Cross and other authors titled Social Rejection Shares Summit of Sensory Representations with Physical Pain found that our bodies sometimes respond to a breakup in the same way it reacts to physical pain. Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Bianchi told Insider, research has shown that regions of the brain that get activated in response to physical pain also get activated in response to a breakup. Whether we've broken a bone or gotten dumped, many of the same underlying neurological structures are involved. This translates to the conscious experience of being in pain. Our bodies go into fight or flight mode after a breakup. According to a very well mind, when you go through a breakup, especially one that's unexpected, your body may register it as an emergency and go into fight or flight mode. Being in this state triggers the release of hormones that can prepare your body to stay and deal with a threat or to run away to safety. Dr. Kristin Bianchi told Insider, our muscles tense, we lose our appetite, we may experience gastrointestinal disruption and we're likely to have trouble falling asleep. Being in this physically hyper-vigilant state over a period of time can lead to headaches, stomach aches and muscle soreness. If your body is being impacted by a breakup, you should take a break, eat well and get enough sleep. It's normal to fill out of place after a breakup but should the emotional distress heighten, it is advised that you speak with a doctor. When you are going through a breakup, your brain chemistry can change. In an explanation by Dr. Mike Doe, a Hollywood therapist, bestselling author of Heal Your Drain Brain, he revealed that when someone goes through a breakup, they experience a drop in the production of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin that are associated with fillings of pleasure and happiness. From his clinical experience, Dr. Doe observed that people who have just gone through breakups tend to drink more than usual and are more likely to engage in one night stands. These activities provide a heavy doll-up of dopamine which heats the brain's deprived pleasure centers. In short, substance use and casual sex are fun ways to spend an evening and a rich source of ribald anecdotes. However, Dr. Mike thinks these activities also have a downside. Despite the dopamine heat that draws us to them, they are not the best ways to get over someone in the long term. Dr. Bianchi said, in the immediate aftermath of a breakup, we're going to experience this abrupt chemical changes almost as we would a type of withdrawal, complete with cravings to be reunited with our exes. Also, licensed clinical social worker Meg Josephson said, one reason being broken up with is so painful lies in evolution. Being rejected from a tribe or social group used to quite literally mean people cut off from shelter and food, putting our survival in jeopardy. Breakups hurt young men more than women. It is popularly believed that a woman may appear strong and formidable but when it comes to the issues of love, she's a simple, uncomplicated, sensitive, and can be very tender. Some social scientists also believe that women need their love lives to be happy and healthy while men do not really care much about love and romance. But according to a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior on June 2010 titled, Non-marital Romantic Relationships and Mental Health in Early Adulthood, Does the association differ for women and men? Contrary to popular belief, relationships was bother men more than they bother women. In the last few years, scientists who focused on the study took into account the differences in how men and women express emotional distress. They believe that women deal with it by becoming anxious or depressed while men deal with it by abusing alcohol or drugs. Yet, a new study asked if the same might be true in relationships among unmarried young adults. The result was no, it wasn't. According to the New York Times, the study, which surveyed 1,611 men and women aged 18 to 23 in the Miami area, found that thorny relationships take a far greater toll on men. In the report by Robin W. Simon, a sociology professor at Wake Forest University and Anne E. Barrett, a sociologist at Florida State University, it appears that young men benefit more than women from support and that they are more harmed than women by strain in ongoing romantic relationships. Women are much more interested in relationships no matter how awful. It's a little bit pathetic, Ms. Simon allowed. Even though there's been so much social change in this area, women's self-worth is still so much tied up with having a boyfriend. It's unfortunate. Although the anguish of men over heartbreaks have been so overlooked, one hypothesis of the authors suggests that while women have outlets for emotional engagement in the form of intimate friendships, men are adrift without the ongoing care of a female soulmate. But as the New York Times asked, why then do older married men more closely approximate women's responses to relationship discord? It may be that gender differences are stronger in young adulthood and disappear with age or the data may capture broad social change in the making. Biology could also be at work. Helen Fisher, author of Anatomy of Love, said the male brains tend to be more compartmentalized female brains more connected. Women tend to focus more deeply on the here and now, Ms. Fisher said. Women tend to think longer term. She suggested a Darwinian explanation, because women can only reproduce so many times they have dramatic time constraints that men don't have. A breakup means the loss of very valuable reproductive time. Of course it may be tempting to stop your ex, but it is often best to keep your distance while you heal. When you are no longer emotionally attached to your ex, only then are you ready to start building friendship with them, if need be. If this video inspired you, share it with your friends. We love you.