ST. LOUIS (AP) — Like Neil Sedaka said, breaking up is hard to do. But researchers at Saint Louis University believe our brains are hardwired to pull us through it.

A review paper published this month in the Review of General Psychology suggests that a mechanism in our brains is designed by natural selection to get us through tumultuous times in our lives, including the end of a relationship.

Associate Professor Brian Boutwell was part of the team that studied the process of falling out of love and breaking up, and moving on to develop a new romantic relationship.

Boutwell says falling out of love might be compared to asking a cocaine addict to break his or her habit.