Grief is universal; for as long as humans have existed, we have struggled when a loved one dies. But until now, we have had little scientific understanding of this essential human experience. In The Grieving Brain, neuroscientist and psychologist Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD, who has devoted decades to researching the effects of grief on the brain, makes cutting-edge neuroscience accessible and guides us through how we process love and grief. With love, our neurons help us form attachments to others; but, with loss, our neurons can struggle to understand where our loved ones went, or how to imagine a future without them. Grief is the cost of love. Based on O’Connor’s own pioneering neuroimaging work, The Grieving Brain highlights how the brain learns and heals throughout grieving, and reveals how for most people, grieving is anything but linear.