What if a love of love was enough to justify a sick leave? In Japan, it’s not fiction. Tako-tsubo syndrome, nicknamed the “burn-out of the heart”, is taken very seriously by doctors … and employers. He can give rise to a leave. A fascinating phenomenon that speaks volumes about the way in which Japanese society perceives romantic relationships – and the pain they can generate.
Broken heart syndrome: a real pathology
As the European Heart Journal cardiologist explains, this syndrome is very real: “Tako-tsubo is a stress cardiomyopathy. It manifests itself by a brutal dysfunction of the left ventricle of the heart after an intense emotional shock, as a breakup.” This name comes from the form taken by the heart during the episode, which evokes a Japanese octopus trap (Tako-Tsubo).
Discovered in the 1970s in Japan, this disorder resembles a heart attack … without being one. The electrocardiogram and the pain is similar, but no artery is blocked. The heart, under the effect of stress, contracts abnormally. In a few weeks, the state is generally absorbed without leaving any sequelae. Women would be more exposed to it, due to greater responsiveness from the vascular system to stress.
When the heart has its reasons … to stop
In Japan, where relationship to love is often codified or even internalized, violent emotions linked to a breakup are taken seriously. In some cases, this syndrome may justify a work stoppage. And if the idea seems to be absurd elsewhere, it is part of a society where emotional intensity is often contained – until it overflows.
This medical recognition of love sorrow as a source of physical and psychological suffering surprises abroad. However, she finds an echo in other cultures: in the Philippines, for example, a deputy proposed the establishment of a “broken heart leave” unpaid, to help young people to face a break.
Love under control in a changing society
This unexpected leave questions, especially in a country where love seems more and more disembodied. Japan has seen a delegated affection market develop for years: agencies of little friends to rent, bars with romantic confessions, solo weddings … even falling in love with virtual characters – grows.
These practices reflect an increasing difficulty in establishing real links. As Shino Matsuyama explains, the figures are eloquent: almost 70 % of young unmarried Japanese adults are single, and almost half has never had an intimate relationship. The government itself alarms it, while the birth rate continues its fall. The traditional model of the couple seems to have lost their place, sometimes deemed too restrictive or unequal.
Tako-Tsubo: Entre Paradoxe etc.
The paradox is striking: in a society where you pay to simulate love, the broken heart is recognized as a medical emergency. This contradiction reflects both increasing loneliness, weight of norms, and the universal need for emotional attention. What Tako-Tsubo syndrome reveals above all is that love, even rare or diverted, continues to hit hard. And that it deserves, in its own way, to be taken seriously.
Whether in Japan or elsewhere, the question of emotional well-being gains legitimacy. Tako-tsubo is not only a medical curiosity, but a signal: our society may need to consider heart pain with as much attention as those of the body. And sometimes a break, a leave, a retreat … can make all the difference.
