Listen: What are the hidden dangers of grief?
In a new podcast episode, a psychologist examines the stress that loss has on the body—and how society can help.
When we lose someone close to us, we often say we have a broken heart: But what if that’s not just a metaphor?
In her new book, The Grieving Body: How The Stress of Loss Can Be An Opportunity For Healing (Harper Collins, 2025), Mary Frances O’Connor, a psychology scholar at the University of Arizona, shares groundbreaking insights into the biological and physiological impacts grief has on our bodies.
O’Connor reveals how profound loss can lead to serious medical conditions, from heart attacks to immune system breakdowns, and explains why grieving can make us more vulnerable to diseases like cancer, pneumonia, and even autoimmune disorders.
In this episode of the Big Brains podcast, drawing on her personal experiences and extensive research, O’Connor outlines why our medical system—and society at large—needs to rethink how we support grieving individuals . She makes a powerful case for viewing grief not only as an emotional experience but as a medical event deserving careful monitoring and intervention, similar to pregnancy or chronic illness.
Read the episode’s transcript.
Source: University of Chicago
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