The Science Of Crying: Why Do People Cry, And What Are Tears?

Crying is a natural reflex. All people have done it - some cry more, some less.

And it comes with different side effects: our voice changes, our nose starts running, and sometimes we even feel like losing control over our body.
We cry for many different reasons - sadness/despair, anger, anxiety, empathy and more.
But tears also appear when we have an irritation in our eye, or we're exposed to smoke or cut onions - why?

Not all tears are the same!

Generally, there are three different types:
Basal Tears: They lubricate the eyes, keep dirt away and form a thin coating that's always there.
Reflex Tears: Response to something irritating the eye (like an onion...) They are released in large amounts because they're meant to wash away the irritation, and they contain antibodies to stop microorganisms.
And lastly, there are emotional tears.

Emotional Tears and Reflex Tears are actually not the same fluid. They consist of different elements.

While Reflex Tears mostly consist of simple water, emotional tears actually contain a lot of ACTH hormones and Enkephalin that appear when you're under a high level of stress.
Scientists suggest that crying helps the body to release these stress hormones, and cope with the situation better.

When you are either very happy or very sad, it feels like you're losing control over the situation, so the body reacts with emotional tears, slower breathing, sweating and faster heart rate to stabilize the mood .

Tears are a clear emotional signal to our surroundings.

The tears blur your vision, sending others a signal of attachment, appeasement and need while calming yourself down.
When crying a lot, some of the fluid goes down your nasal cavities and makes your nose runny.

Evolutionally speaking, crying increases your chance of survival because it draws in those that are close to you and makes them help you.
Humans are born vulnerable, so tears are also a sign of helplessness.
Although many people deny it, seeing someone cry always triggers an emotional response within us and instinctively makes us feel like we want to help or protect that person.

And what about Tears of JOY ?

Tears of joy are still essentially the same thing - social signalsto our surrounding that display how we feel inside.
Both emotional states, crying of joy and crying of sadness have brain activity in the same area of the brain: the Hypothalamus and Basal Ganglia, which are actually connected to your tear glands.

Why do we cry when cutting Onions ?

Cut-up onions release sulfenic acids. These become a gas and when they come in contact with your eyes, they turn into Sulphuric Acid - which makes our eyes burn and water. It stimulates your brain to send some hormones to the lacrimal glands that then flood your eyeballs with reflex tears.
The same reflex tears appear when we're exposed to smoke, which also irritates the eyes.

This amazing video by Ted-Ed also explains a lot about the phenomenon of crying:

Crying is an emotional response to a situation we aren't sure how to deal with in a different way.
It's a natural instinct that we don't have to learn, Babies do it right from the beginning.

Most importantly, it's a signal to our surroundings that strengthens social bonds!

Images: Logo, 1, 2, 3, 4

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