Why does emotional pain sometimes feels like physical pain?

Question

So here's a question from a newbie. I read somewhere that emotional pain can last as long as 20 minutes. Anything painful you feel beyond that is just a result of overthinking. Well whatever it is, why does it effect our overall being so much? We feel that actual clenching pain in our heart like it will stop beating any minute. The pain is that strong. Our sleep and eating patterns get disturbed. Why? It's just an emotion. Why can't our bodies seem to differentiate between emotional pain and physical hurt?

Answer 1

Let's think about what an emotion actually is. An emotion is simply a physiological experience that we assign meaning to and label as an "emotion." Let me give you an example. Let's say I notice that my heart is racing and my hands are sweating a little. Well, this is simply something my body is doing because it's on alert. Depending on the situational context, my brain will assign a label to these physical sensations -- perhaps "excitement" or "nervousness," which both produce similar physical sensations. So, an emotion is a physical feeling that our mind labels. Using this information, why do you think people experience physical pain when they are in emotional distress?