Though not many would feel it still happens, a recent research has reached the conclusion that people still happen to die from a broken heart, after the death of their better half. The study has stated that the grief of losing your partner could be so overwhelming that many people die, within three years of losing their respective partner.

The research was conducted by a team of experts at the St Andrew’s University and the condition has been identified as the widowhood effect. Though, it was previously believed that the condition affected only the elderly, yet according to the new study, it happens to affect people in their 30s and 40s as well.

According to the researchers, it was found that 40% women, while 26% men, died of a condition or anything, within the three years after the demise of their partner.

The research work will appear next year in the journal Epidemiology, the reason for the deaths range from cancer to heart diseases to accidents and suicides.

Lead Researcher and Chief Executive Officer of the Economic and Social Research Council, Professor Paul Boyle stated that the cause of death was irrelevant and the main reason behind all the deaths was in fact the effect of widowhood.