Do you really know? Can going through a breakup really make us fall sick?
Mar 25, 2026
They explore how breakups sap sleep, focus and job performance. The idea of a proposed heartbreak leave policy in the Philippines is explained. Reactions to that proposal and whether heartache should be taken seriously are discussed. The conversation touches on the brain regions and physical symptoms linked to rejection and the rare risk of stress-related heart problems.
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Breakups Trigger Real Physical Stress
- Breakups produce real physical effects beyond sadness, including headaches, nausea, sleep loss, low motivation, and immune weakening.
- Joseph Chance cites neuroscientist Lucy Brown and Psychology Today linking rejection to the insular cortex and stress-driven cortisol responses that disrupt digestion and immunity.
Heartbreak Leave As A Practical Workplace Fix
- The proposed 'heartbreak leave' aims to let employees take short time off to recover and return more productive: three days for over 35s, two for 25–35, one for under 25.
- Joseph Chance frames the policy as a practical remedy to avoid being an unproductive mess at work after a breakup.
Proposal Sparked Mixed Reactions But Highlights Need For Empathy
- Public reaction to heartbreak leave was mixed, highlighting tensions between empathy for emotional recovery and skepticism about formalizing leave for breakups.
- Joseph Chance notes the proposal hasn't won universal support and may not pass, yet stresses not to trivialize breakup suffering.