ELI5: Why Did Van Gogh Cut Off His Ear?

Vincent van Gogh cut off part of his ear because he was suffering from a severe mental illness and had just experienced an overwhelming emotional breakdown after a huge fight with his best friend.

Imagine you are having the worst, most stressful day of your life.

• Your body is completely exhausted because you haven't been sleeping.
• You skipped lunch and dinner, so your tummy is empty and your head hurts.
• You are deeply worried about having enough money to live.
• You just had a screaming argument with your best friend, who packed their bags and decided to leave you all alone.

Van Gogh had an "emotional storm" inside his head that was far too big for him to control. He was living with another painter named Paul Gauguin, but they argued constantly. After one terrible fight just before Christmas, Gauguin threatened to leave forever. Van Gogh felt completely abandoned, heartbroken, and frightened.

Because of his mental breakdown, his mind became deeply confused and panicked. Instead of taking deep breaths, asking for help, or crying to let the pain out, he lost control of his actions and hurt himself by cutting his left earlobe.

Just like catching a bad fever can make someone dizzy and act strangely, Van Gogh had a sickness in his mind that made him do something very extreme and sad during a moment of total panic.