(Newswire.net — September 29, 2019) — Although tears are often seen as a sign of weakness, scholars studying tears and crying would disagree with that claim. Crying has multiple good sides and benefits, and experts believe that tears are a natural defense of the body against stress hormones.
Crying is one way to get rid of negative emotions, and it is also a kind of defense against bacteria or reactions to some chemicals. Tears are not necessarily “bad”, sometimes we really need a good crying session. These are just a few reasons:
Clear eyes
Tears act as a natural antibiotic and can kill up to 95 percent of harmful bacteria in the eye in as little as five minutes.
They improve vision
The membrane of the eye can be dehydrated which can cause vision problems and the image we see is simply blurred. When we cry, tears ensure the humidity of the membrane and thus facilitate and improve vision. Tears also eliminate toxins.
In the 1980s, Dr. William Fay, a researcher at Minneapolis-based Ramsay Medical Center, found that tears have a different chemical composition depending on the cause. Thus, tear reflex tears are made up of 98 percent water while emotional tears are full of stress hormones.
They provide solace
Interestingly, crying is accompanied by increased activity in a particular part of the nervous system whose role is to calm the body after a stressful event and slow down the heart. Research has also found that crying increases the levels of oxytocin, a happiness hormone that inhibits the release of the stress hormone cortisol.
In addition, crying releases endorphins, a hormone secreted during exercise and sex. It is not uncommon for us to feel much better after “crying a river”.
Tears engage emotional relief and connection with others
Crying awakens our protective instincts and acts like a call for help. Crying attracts attention, and people who see a crying person feel a protective urge and then they want to provide solace. In this way, vulnerability helps us connect with others.
Tears trivia
Recent research has shown that women cry more often than men, to be precise, four times as much, but the fact is that both genders cry alike during major life events such as mourning for a dead person, explained Professor Ed Vingerhoets, a psychologist at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands.
Interestingly, men cry more often for positive events, while women more often shed tears for the negative ones. Experts explain that this difference is due to hormones. Testosterone suppresses the need for crying, while the female hormone prolactin stimulates empathy and tears.
There are three types of tears: reflex tears that protect against irritation and foreign bodies, emotional tears that are triggered by positive or negative events, and constant tears that moisten the eyes.