Summary Of The Science Of Heartbreak And How Music Heals

Everyone probably has or will experience heartbreak in their life. In “The Science of Heartbreak and How Music Heals” Christie Wilcox talks about her personal experience with heartache and explains how music and writing can relieve the pain that comes from heartbreak. She also describes how emotional pain and physical pain are similar since they originate from the same area of the brain. Wilcox uses types of evidence and pathos in the essay to effectively develop her argument by appealing to the reader's emotions and persuade the reader that music and writing can successfully ease emotional pain.

In the essay, Wilcox talks about the emotional pain that comes from heartbreak. She tries to reach the people who have been heartbroken themselves

and show them that music and writing can help relieve the pain. She says that when she went through heartbreak she felt like she had been kicked in the stomach with steel-toed boots. She couldn’t stop crying and wondering if her pain was ever going to disappear. She shares with the reader how she thought about self-medicating but she quickly decided against it. She states that "mild analgesics like ibuprofen would be useless, as they act peripherally, targeting the pain nerves which send signals to the brain. In this case, it is my brain that is causing the pain. I would have to take something different, like an opioid, which depresses the central nervous system and thus inhibits the brain's ability to feel. Tempting as that might be, painkillers are an easy -- and dangerous -- way out." The purpose of her writing the essay was to show the readers that there is another way to lessen the feeling of emotional pain caused by heartache which is by music and expressive writing.
Wilcox explains the biological connection between emotional and physical pain, which enhances her argument on how much the emotional pain that results from heartbreak can hurt. She states that “the term heartache isn’t a metaphor: emotional wounds literally hurt.” When we face rejection, the same parts of the brain that are triggered when we undergo physical pain go haywire. Through revealing how physical pain connects to emotional pain, Wilcox appeals to the reader’s emotions. A person who has felt emotional pain in their life can relate to her. She also describes how she felt when she experienced emotional pain. She says, “Spiking cortisol levels are causing my muscles to tense and diverting blood away from my gut, leading to this twisting, gnawing agony that I cannot stop thinking about.” She supports her argument on how emotional pain can hurt as much as physical pain through the usage of pathos in her essay.
Wilcox also uses many types of evidence to establish pathos in her writing and be able to persuade the reader that music can truly help heal a broken heart.

First, she explains how evolutionary biologists have known that our emotions have hijacked the pain system. As human beings we are dependent on others from birth, so it’s necessary that we create and maintain relationships in order to survive and be able to pass on our genes. The main way our bodies inform us that something is wrong is through pain. We really dislike the feeling of pain, which then causes us to quickly change our behavior to make sure that we don’t hurt anymore. Wilcox states in the essay that “since the need to maintain social bonds is crucial to mammalian survival, experiencing pain when they are threatened is an adaptive way to prevent the potential danger of being alone.” She includes the biological explanations relating to pain to establish pathos in her writing and connect to the

reader.
Then she explains how music and writing helps sooth emotional pain.

Music has known to have a powerful effect on the human brain. Wilcox says, “music evokes strong emotions and changes how we perceive the world around us. Simply listening to music causes the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to the brain’s reward system and feelings of happiness.” She also brings up the point that various studies have found that listening to music changes our perception of painful stimuli, and it strengthens our feelings of control. She states that people are capable of tolerating pain for longer periods of time when listening to music. Similarly, expressive writing can also help with lowering the pain of heartache. She says, “expressive writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events is more than just a way to let out emotion—college students told to write about their most upsetting moments, for example, were found to be in remarkably better health four months later than their counterparts who wrote on frivolous topics.” She also states that “while negative emotions may have commandeered our pain response, art has tapped into the neurochemical pathways of happiness and healing.” Through including the explanation behind music's ability to relieve pain and using the results from the case studies, she strengthens her argument by appealing to the reader's emotions. It helps get her point about how music and writing can be useful when dealing with heartbreak across to the

readers.
Christie Wilcox's usage of pathos and different types of evidence in the essay helps her persuade the reader that there is a way to get rid of the emotional pain that comes from heartbreak which is through listening to music or writing about your feelings. By revealing her story, she shows how music truly had a positive effect on her. When she writes a song she weaves her emotions into the lyrics. She says, "the rush of dopamine loosens the knot in my stomach ever so slightly. For now, the agony is dulled." People who listen to music can surely relate to her and the emotions that she feels when she is engaged in music. In conclusion, Wilcox persuades the reader that music and writing can help ease emotional pain through the usage of pathos and different types of evidence such as facts, case studies and biological explanations.