Why Do We Cry

Just as people feel sad, happy, angry, guilty, etc. people cry. It is a way of expressing emotions for us. The world over, it has been accepted as a natural response to express when one is hurt, physically or mentally or even when one is happy beyond words. But why do tears come out of our eyes? Is it because we have been conditioned right from our childhood to respond in this way or is there some scientific explanation for this occurrence. Let's discuss this in detail.

Research Findings

Basically, there are three types of tears that human beings experience, namely, basal, reflex and emotional tears. Basal tears are very necessary as they keep the eyes well lubricated. Reflex tears, as the name suggests, are the tears produced in response to some outside stimuli, i.e. tears that occur in the eyes when something gets into the eye or tears that are caused when we cut onions. Emotional tears, are tears which are experienced only by human beings. The reason behind this is the body's reaction to the way we feel. Various researches have been done in the past with regards to what makes us cry. Here are some of the findings.

Releases Stress
Researches that have been done on emotional tears in the past suggest that when a person cries, tears carry with them all the stressful chemicals in the body. Emotional tears have high levels of manganese and prolactin hormone. When these chemicals are shed along with the tears, the person feels that his stress levels have come down and thus, it makes him feel better. That's the reason we cry when we feel sad or hurt, because it makes us feel better.

Stimulated by Nervous System
If you want to know why we cry when we laugh or feel sad, then here is the scientific explanation for it. When we feel hurt or really sad, our nervous system responds to these emotions by stimulating the cranial nerve. This stimulation of the nerve, sends signals to the tear glands, through the neurotransmitters and hence, we end up crying.

Human Bonding
When a person cries, it is his way of showing that he is weak and vulnerable. By crying in front of his adversaries, a person tries to gain their sympathy. This might make the adversaries a little softer on the one who is crying and they may even end up as friends. People try to protect or care for the one who is crying, they console him, and thus, it creates human bonds.

Manipulation / Communication
Crying is a way to communicate with others. Babies often cry in order to get attention from their mothers or when they are hungry. It is their way of communicating with the mother about their needs. Sometimes, by crying loudly, they manipulate their mothers into doing things for them too. This manipulation/ communication behavior is quite common in adults. Men and women in relationships often resort to crying to manipulate their partners.

There are no definite answers to this, although, who should cry and when is well-known to everyone because of social conditioning. Generally, men are told not to cry and be strong. On the other hand, women are considered a weaker sex and hence, they are free to cry. It is all right to cry for children and babies on small things but for adults there has to be a solid reason such as a loss of a family member, to cry openly. All said and done, crying is a great way to release stress and form relationships, so go ahead and cry your heart out once in a while.