This is the reason we are shedding tears.
Crying is a complicated emotion that has received surprisingly little attention. One thing is certain: only humans cry out of emotion.
What is the source of tears?
Crying is considered innate, a fundamental human trait like laughter. Tears are a form of communication. They signal helplessness, pain, fear, or empathy and aim to trigger supportive behavior in others.
This mechanism also exists in animals: mammals and young birds utter distress cries, especially when they are separated from their mother.
It’s been four weeks now. Baby tears can flow, but crying tends to be slower in people.
One theory explaining the origin of the connection between tears and vocal crying is that during emergency calls of human newborns, strong contractions of the eye ring muscle stimulate nerves in the cornea.
These exert pressure on the tear gland, comparable to insensible tears when yawning.
Unique characteristics of humans
Only people cry for emotional reasons. Current research assumes that there is a link between visible tear production and care and nurturing time, which lasts much longer in humans than in the animal kingdom.
Children depend on adults for protection and teaching for many years.
Crying is a quieter signal than screaming, which is evolutionarily advantageous so as not to attract strangers or enemies as potential predators. Therefore, the primary function of crying is likely to promote social bonding and mutual prosocial behaviors.
Article section: What does tear fluid reveal?
What is revealed by tear fluid?
A distinction is made between emotional, basal, and reflex tears. These are due to external influences or stimuli, such as cutting onions, wind, or smoke. Basal tears moisten and clean the eye, protecting it.
All three forms of tears are made up of electrolytes, water, and proteins, but their concentration is different.
Emotional tears contain more protein than reflex tears, as well as higher concentrations of prolactin, manganese, potassium, or serotonin.
However, the same nervous structures, receptors, and transmitters likely play a role in its development.
Crying is a difficult process.
People who cry usually have no control over their facial expressions. When we cry, several facial muscles, brain structures, and nerves are activated.
In addition, it is usually accompanied by sobbing, which limits the ability to speak. But crying is not just a physically complex process.
It is linked to cultural and social rules. The reasons we cry say a lot about who we are and what is important to us.
Some people may also cry intentionally (“manipulative tears”). Some, on the other hand, have absolutely no ability to cry emotionally.
Article section: Why do women cry more than men?
Why do women cry more than men?
Many surveys and studies show that women cry more often and for longer than men and sob more frequently. The reasons probably lie in education and socialization.
Depending on your upbringing and culture, crying can also be seen as a sign of weakness or instability of character.
But the reasons are surprisingly often banal: everyday conflicts or small frustrations, as well as emotional films, often make you cry. songs. In a representative survey commissioned by “Tina” magazine in 2018, the most common reasons for crying were: watching a moving or sad movie (62%), listening to a moving piece of music (36%), and receiving a loving gift. (32 percent).
In a 2015 survey by the Society for Consumer Research, 83 percent of women reported crying in the past year, compared to just under 43 percent of men surveyed.
In Western cultures, people cry mainly at home, usually at night, alone or in front of their partner or mother.
Article section: What are the consequences of tears?
What are the consequences of tears?
Visible tears affect how others perceive crying. On the one hand, people who cry are seen as warmer and friendlier, more sincere and honest, but on the other hand, they are often seen as possibly more emotionally unstable, more incompetent, and more manipulative.
In a 2017 Dutch study, around 1,000 subjects were shown photographs of people crying. Some tears had been digitally removed.
People with visible tears were perceived as warmer but also less competent.
A person with visible tears would also be more likely to be offered help. However, anyone who needs help with an important task will tend to avoid crying.
Comfort helps
It is controversial whether crying reduces stress or has a cleansing and relieving effect. The theory of a true “catharsis effect” arises from the discovery that emotional tears contain more stress hormones than reflex tears.
However, measurements and experiments show that the amount of substances is small and that mood does not necessarily improve after crying. The latter depends mainly on how those around you react to tears. It means: comfort helps.
