Biological changes in brain may help in getting over an ex, study finds

Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones’s Diary. The vole study suggested the brain may have a mechanism to help in moving on from heartbreak. Photograph: Allstar Picture Library

Breaking up is hard to do, but it seems the brain may have a mechanism to help get over an ex.

Researchers studying prairie voles say the rodents, which form monogamous relationships, experience a burst of the pleasure hormone dopamine in their brain when seeking and reuniting with their partner. However, after being separated for a lengthy period, they no longer experience such a surge.