Sometimes a good cry can indeed do wonders for your mood. Although crying is often perceived as a sign of weakness by society, it is purgative and a highly evolved behavior.
The body responds to emotional stress by crying. It occurs when you feel extreme emotions, including grief and happiness. Studies have shown that crying can benefit your health.
Ancient medical practitioners have confirmed that crying can purify and cleanse a person’s health. In the modern world, psychologists view crying as a way to relieve stress and pain. Moreover, crying strengthens family relationships, enables closer connections, and fosters compassion.
Why Do We Cry When We Are Sad or Happy?
There are three types of tears produced by humans:
- Basal: Tear ducts continuously secrete basal tears, which are antibacterial proteins that keep the eyes moist every time the person blinks.
- Reflex: Reflex tears are tears triggered by external irritants such as wind, smoke, or onions. Their function is to flush out irritants and protect the eyes.
- Emotional: Humans cry when they experience various emotions. These tears contain a high level of stress hormones compared to other types of tears.
The act of crying or sobbing is an intrinsic part of your nature as a human being. Your body is constantly absorbing both good and bad chemicals. Our body through bodily wastes, sweat, saliva, and tears releases these toxins. Only humans are capable of crying due to their suppressed emotions. The tears shed by animals are purely for the lubrication of their eyes, not for the expression of their feelings.
As a social being, you experience a range of emotions daily. Crying is more than letting go of emotions. Your body wants you to feel better. In other words, you want comfort and connection from others.
It is okay to cry alone sometimes. The process allows you to feel, understand, and accept the emotion you are experiencing. It is important to be alone when you are crying tears of happiness or sadness. Individuals have their processes.
What Are the Benefits of Crying?
People likely suppress tears if they see them as a sign of weakness, but science suggests that crying has many different health benefits, so some may argue that we should cry more often.
Let us know below how crying helps us with some amazing benefits:
- Crying Makes Your Mood Better
It is quite common to feel better after having a good cry. We are releasing toxins from our bodies when we cry, and this helps us cope with stressful situations more effectively. In turn, this can help individuals to sleep better, strengthen their immune systems, and prevent them from gaining weight. Crying reduces stress, which in turn lowers our blood pressure.
- Crying Reduces Your Pain
The happy hormones oxytocin and endorphin are released when we cry. These chemicals cause the human body to relax immediately. We become somewhat insensitive. There is a corresponding feeling of relaxation and less tension. After that, you feel a sense of calm and relaxation.
- Crying Improves Your Vision
The body needs water to function properly and to stay hydrated. The eyes are no different from the rest of our bodies. They too need water to stay healthy. Whenever we cry we are rehydrating our eyes, which helps enhance the focus of our eyes as well as improve our overall vision.
- Crying Strengthens Bonding
Crying can be beneficial to interpersonal relationships. When you cry, you communicate that you need help and support from those around you. Being around the right people will make you feel more connected. There is no need to cry in front of random people. The people who are close to you comfort you when you are crying. They will provide you with comfort and care.
- Crying Restores Your Emotional Balance
Grieving is your body’s way of balancing your emotions when you have experienced both sadness and joy. There is usually a baseline emotional state before crying, and then shedding tears completely skews the whole thing. Nevertheless, crying can help you return to a normal emotional state. Sometimes people cry out of anger or frustration. Afterwards, you feel like yourself again.
Life sometimes feels like a silent movie, just like Charlie Chaplin. Sometimes words are not enough to describe how you feel. Sometimes a tear is worth a thousand words. Those tears are your bullets, which make you powerful when you cry. Nevertheless, if tears are causing more problems than healing, it is time to seek professional help.
Also published on Medium.