A Bigger Type of Sadness: How Grief Changes the Brain

When someone you care about dies, your body goes through a process called grief. Grief is one of the feelings people experience after losing someone they care about. When you are around someone you care about, your body releases a special chemical signal called oxytocin. Scientists are still learning about what happens to oxytocin when a loved one dies. When you grieve someone, you may cry or be angry, but the brain—your body’s control system—experiences grief as well. In this article, I will tell you about the parts of the brain that are affected by grief, and how they change as people cope and grow (Teachers and parents: This article discusses death) .