Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor

But the neuroimaging research, when we asked people, tell me how much you're yearning for your loved one. And then we put them in the scanner and we showed them photos of their loved one. compared those to them looking at a stranger. So what part is unique? Not looking at a person, but looking at your person that you're yearning for.

But the neuroimaging research, when we asked people, tell me how much you're yearning for your loved one. And then we put them in the scanner and we showed them photos of their loved one. compared those to them looking at a stranger. So what part is unique? Not looking at a person, but looking at your person that you're yearning for.

We saw that there was this little area deep in the brain called the nucleus accumbens. Probably from other studies, we know it's sort of in the neighborhood, called a ventral striatum sort of area. And what we saw was the more people said, I'm yearning for my loved one,

We saw that there was this little area deep in the brain called the nucleus accumbens. Probably from other studies, we know it's sort of in the neighborhood, called a ventral striatum sort of area. And what we saw was the more people said, I'm yearning for my loved one,

We saw that there was this little area deep in the brain called the nucleus accumbens. Probably from other studies, we know it's sort of in the neighborhood, called a ventral striatum sort of area. And what we saw was the more people said, I'm yearning for my loved one,

There was a direct correlation with how much activity there was in the nucleus accumbens in this reward learning area of the brain. Now, in everyone who was bereaved, regardless of how much grief severity they were having, we saw things like memory areas. Of course, they're looking at a photo of their loved one.

There was a direct correlation with how much activity there was in the nucleus accumbens in this reward learning area of the brain. Now, in everyone who was bereaved, regardless of how much grief severity they were having, we saw things like memory areas. Of course, they're looking at a photo of their loved one.

There was a direct correlation with how much activity there was in the nucleus accumbens in this reward learning area of the brain. Now, in everyone who was bereaved, regardless of how much grief severity they were having, we saw things like memory areas. Of course, they're looking at a photo of their loved one.

They're having all sorts of memories of when the photo was taken or, you know, whatever. We had lots of emotion areas, emotion regulation areas, even some areas that had to do with autonomic physiology regulation.

They're having all sorts of memories of when the photo was taken or, you know, whatever. We had lots of emotion areas, emotion regulation areas, even some areas that had to do with autonomic physiology regulation.

They're having all sorts of memories of when the photo was taken or, you know, whatever. We had lots of emotion areas, emotion regulation areas, even some areas that had to do with autonomic physiology regulation.

But what made it so unique was this idea that yearning is something that varies among people who are grieving and that it might be in part instantiated in this brain encoded region that says, I'm looking at this photo and what that makes me want to do is reach out for you. And I think this was a very new way to understand what is lost. It isn't something new that's heaped onto your plate.

But what made it so unique was this idea that yearning is something that varies among people who are grieving and that it might be in part instantiated in this brain encoded region that says, I'm looking at this photo and what that makes me want to do is reach out for you. And I think this was a very new way to understand what is lost. It isn't something new that's heaped onto your plate.

But what made it so unique was this idea that yearning is something that varies among people who are grieving and that it might be in part instantiated in this brain encoded region that says, I'm looking at this photo and what that makes me want to do is reach out for you. And I think this was a very new way to understand what is lost. It isn't something new that's heaped onto your plate.

It's that a part of us that was formed when you bonded has been amputated. You don't have the resources. You can't function in the world. You can't walk through the grocery store without figuring out how to do that. Without this other person. And then often yearning to have them back so that you could walk through the world in the normal way again. There's nothing wrong with yearning.

It's that a part of us that was formed when you bonded has been amputated. You don't have the resources. You can't function in the world. You can't walk through the grocery store without figuring out how to do that. Without this other person. And then often yearning to have them back so that you could walk through the world in the normal way again. There's nothing wrong with yearning.

It's that a part of us that was formed when you bonded has been amputated. You don't have the resources. You can't function in the world. You can't walk through the grocery store without figuring out how to do that. Without this other person. And then often yearning to have them back so that you could walk through the world in the normal way again. There's nothing wrong with yearning.

It's just that we understand better now how the brain is doing it. And I can tell you if you want – but I've gone on a bit here. I can tell you if you want – A lot of people did point out, wait, this is the same area of the brain that's related to addiction. A lot of people talked about, are we addicted to our loved ones? And it took me, I never wrote about it in the 2008 paper.

It's just that we understand better now how the brain is doing it. And I can tell you if you want – but I've gone on a bit here. I can tell you if you want – A lot of people did point out, wait, this is the same area of the brain that's related to addiction. A lot of people talked about, are we addicted to our loved ones? And it took me, I never wrote about it in the 2008 paper.

It's just that we understand better now how the brain is doing it. And I can tell you if you want – but I've gone on a bit here. I can tell you if you want – A lot of people did point out, wait, this is the same area of the brain that's related to addiction. A lot of people talked about, are we addicted to our loved ones? And it took me, I never wrote about it in the 2008 paper.