What are the physical effects of guilt?

In addition to emotional pain, guilt can cause physical pain in the form of headaches, insomnia and nausea according to Psychology Today.. Guilt is a powerful emotion that reminds people of the consequences of negative actions, so it can also affect their future behavior.

The pain from guilt can be pervasive enough to affect a person's well being. Due to the hurtful nature of guilt, people tend to soothe their own pain by either making up with others or compensating with generosity and kindness. This highlights the complexity of guilt; the emotion goes beyond simply feeling bad about an action and helps establish a new understanding of how to reinforce the positive bonds in relationships.