WHY DO WE CRY?

source:www.mindbodygreen.com

Crying is something that almost every human in the world has experienced, it starts with a quivering lip then vigorous blinking in an attempt to hide that your eyes are filling with pools of water, salts, antibodies and lysozymes. Some people cry at the drop of a hat, at parties, weddings and  movies (Bambi) , whereas others can't remember the last time they cried. Many people say that we cry simply because we are sad but nothing is that simple in this world so let's dig a little deeper and find out why we actually cry?

Firstly, when the need for tears arises the sensory nerves in your cornea essentially tells the  brain stem about the irritation through electrical signals, which in turn sends hormone

s to the glands. It stimulates two glands that are situated above the each eye, behind the upper eyelid. These glands are called lacrimal glands and they are responsible for producing lacrimal fluid or tears.   

There are three different types of tears. The first one is Reflex Tears. These tears are very watery and are usually triggered as a response to a foreign body entering the eye. They flood the eye and try to "flush" the irritant out. These tears are different to Emotional tears. And thirdly Basal tears which are always lubricating your eyes. It all starts in the cerebrum where emotions like sadness are registered. The endocrine system is then triggered to release tears into the eye. 

Crying (emotional tears) is a terrible thing to happen if you are in the wild. Think about it. The tears would blur your vision and disorientate you completely, you would be extremely vulnerable to predators. Also Most scientists agree that humans are the only animals to produce emotional tears. So what's the purpose? One theory is that these tears are a survival mechanism. Their purpose is to alert you and the others that something needs addressing. Another theory is that there may be a biochemical reason for crying. Some scientists believe that stress hormones or toxins are released from the body and ultimately the person feel better. 

The simple fact is that when someone cries there are showing complete vulnerability in front of whoever they are with. Personally I think we cry in order to communicate with other around us, it alerts them to our emotions and non verbally expresses emotional overload. So the next time you watch a sad movie and a little tear comes to your eye, just remember that these tears are what our ancestors used to survive. We may not know how they helped but we do know that they would have disappeared if we didn't need them.

As always, Seemal