Why cry?

[michaelmartin]

I'm sure that, like me, after you have cried, you seem to feel better, and can see things more clearly, in their true perspective. But why?

These tears are obviously emotional tears, but there are other types of tears as well.

What about 'reflex' tears, those that occur because we have an irritant in our eye or because we yawn or laugh?

Then there are 'basal' tears, those that just appear for no reason, produced by our tear glands to protect and lubricate our eyes.When we blink , this fluid is spread over our eyes.

But what about those 'emotional' tears? Surveys estimate that 85% of women and 73% of men report feeling better after crying. But that feeling of relief may depend not only on tears, but also on the way others respond to our crying. When our tears move others to comfort us or offer to help, we feel relieved. On the other hand if the response is not good, we may feel ashamed or rejected.

Whatever the reason, crying is good for us. Some researchers have pointed out that systematically holding back tears may damage our health!

So keep on crying!