In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, mind-erasing researchers try to perish the heartbroken thoughts of a jilted lover using mementos from his former relationship. Recently, at a lab at the University of Michigan, scientists also asked test subjects to think hard about the people who broke up with them. But instead of erasing their memories, they shoved them in an MRI machine and simulated pouring hot coffee on their arms.It was of course all in the name of science: what the researchers found, unshockingly to anyone who’s been there, was that the physical pain of heat lit up the same parts of the brain as the emotional pain of rejection. While previous research had shown that social rejection hurt, it didn’t activate those parts of the brain associated with physical pain. Apparently that’s because previous experiments weren’t harsh enough. "We were shocked because no prior research had demonstrated this same connection," Ethan F. Kross, the professor of psychology who was the lead author of the study, told the Times. It’s still not clear however if Tylenol can help us cope with getting dumped.Until then, there’s always the Ex Blocker.PHOTO:filmdrunk
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