There is an evolutionary and biological explanation for shedding tears. Let’s analyze what happens in our body when we cry.
We all cry sometime . In fact, statistics show that, on average, women cry about 5 times a month and men, between 1 and 2. And it is that crying is not at all related to being weak. What’s more, crying is one of the greatest evolutionary achievements of humans.
Not because it is something exclusive to people, since many other mammals do it too, but because we have given it a very strong emotional and social component. Tears have more functions than we think.
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In today’s article we are going to analyze what is the evolutionary meaning of crying and what effects and implications tears have both in our body and in relationships with other people.
What is a tear?
They are so much a part of our life that we don’t normally wonder about it. A tear is a clear liquid that is mostly water, but it is not the only component. In addition to water, tears are made up of lipids (fats) that prevent the tears from evaporating and of a mucous substance that helps them stay attached to the cornea of the eye.
These tears are produced in the lacrimal glands , which are located above each eyeball. These glands constantly produce tears, not just when you cry. In fact, they deliver tears every time you blink, otherwise your eyes would be dry and quickly irritated.
These tears that moisten the eyes are collected by the tear ducts, which function as a kind of drains that collect excess fluid and carry it to the nose, so we are not aware that we are producing tears at all times.
Now, it is one thing to produce tears and quite another to cry. For different reasons that we will discuss below, the nervous system sends an order to the lacrimal glands to produce a much greater amount of fluid.
This is when we start to cry. And it is at this point that the tear ducts are not able to drain all this amount of fluid and the tears begin to “overflow”, falling down the cheeks.
The saturation of these tear ducts is what explains that when we cry, there is usually also a runny nose. And it is that they are trying to drain all the tears and a large part of them end up in the nose.
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But why is this physiological reaction of crying triggered? What does the body seek to achieve by doing it? We will answer these questions below.
Why do we cry?
We cry for incredibly diverse reasons: from sadness, when the eyes are irritated, when there are changes in temperature, from physical pain, from sadness and even for the typical reason to cut onions.
But the most interesting of all is that not all tears are the same. Depending on the reason that triggered the overexcitation of the lacrimal glands, their composition will be different. Therefore, not all crying is the same.
Here are the top 4 reasons we cry . We have grouped them based on the purpose of the tears.
- To moisten the eyes
As we have said, people are constantly “crying”, in the sense that the production of tears does not stop at any time. Tears serve to protect the eyes at all times . These types of tears are known as basal tears, and they are those that are produced without the need for physical or emotional alterations.
By producing these tears, which are distributed throughout the cornea when we blink, the body ensures that the eyes remain moist and lubricated, otherwise they would become quickly irritated.
In addition, tears also nourish the epithelium of the eye. Tears are loaded with nutrients so that the cells that make up the cornea receive the “food” they need to have energy and fulfill their function. And it is that we remember that the cornea is not communicated with the blood vessels, because we could not see well. Therefore, their way of receiving nutrients is through these tears.
The constant production of tears also “cleanses” the eyes. With the arrival of these tears, foreign bodies and dust residues or other debris that could cause eye infections are removed.
- To protect us from physical or chemical agents
Why do we cry when we cut onion? Or when there are sudden changes in temperature? Or when tobacco smoke reaches our eyes? Or even sometimes when we get very direct sunlight? Because the eye protects itself. This type of tears are known as reflexes, because, as its name indicates, its production is a reflex action of the body.
In this case, our body quickly detects the presence of physical agents (sunlight, temperature changes …) or chemicals (irritating substances that float through the air) and that could damage our eyes.
In this case, the nervous system sends the order to the lacrimal glands to increase the production of tears, since the eyes must be protected more than normal. In this case, there is already a crying as such, since the tear ducts are saturated and the tears fall down the cheeks.
These tears have a different chemical composition than the basal ones and help protect the eyeballs from damage from these physical and chemical agents. But it is a reflex action of the body, that is, they cannot be controlled like the emotional tears that we will see below.
- To communicate
We enter the realm of what is most unknown to science: emotional tears . These are those that occur as a result of a wide spectrum of emotions: sadness, happiness, physical pain, surprise …
It remains unclear what leads the body to command the overproduction of tears when strong emotions are experienced, but it seems that one of the most reasonable explanations for crying (when other people are around) is that it helps us communicate .
Tears are perhaps the most powerful non-verbal communication tool there is. And we see this clearly in the case of babies. When they still can’t speak, crying is the only way to communicate. Because they are hungry, because something hurts, because they are sleepy … Humans are evolutionarily programmed to feel compassion when someone cries, because our paternal instinct relates it to that someone needs help.
For this reason, crying when sad is an unconscious strategy that we have to ask others to help us and seek comfort, since our genes “know” that crying is the fastest way to get emotional support and get out of that bad situation as soon as possible. . It is also a way to let them know that they should stop as soon as possible if they are crying because of someone else.
In the case of crying for happiness, things are less clear. It is believed that it could be a reflex action to the hormonal changes that occur when there is a strong positive emotional arousal, although the hypothesis is also being considered that the crying could be due to the memory of the bad experiences that have been lived up to that point. point of happiness.
In the case of physical pain, it is exactly the same as with sadness. Crying is an evolutionary strategy to ask for help, because with tears we get others to feel empathy and want to help us. However, not all people cry when something hurts them.
Be that as it may, what is clear is that tears, in addition to protecting the eyes, are a very important component in human communication, as we are programmed to feel compassion for those who are crying.
- To reduce stress
But then why do we cry when we are alone? Because we have seen that crying when there are other people can be useful to seek their emotional support, but it would not make sense, then, to cry when there is no one around.
But the truth is, yes. And more than we think. Crying is also a strategy of our body to reduce the stress caused by an emotionally traumatic situation or by going through a moment of great sadness. The “cry, you will be fine” each time proves to be more real.
And it is that when the nervous system sends the order and we begin to cry, there are rapidly changes in our physiology that lead to reducing the stress caused by the trigger for crying. The heartbeat accelerates, the respiratory rate slows down, the blood vessels dilate, sweating increases … All this means that after crying, there is less stress on the body, as it enters a physical relaxation that ends up having implications for the production of hormones and leads to greater “peace” of mind.
But not only this. Emotional tears have been observed to have a high concentration of stress-related hormones , so crying could literally be a way to “push” stress out of the body.
This makes many people feel better after crying and more rested. Therefore, crying protects our eyes, allows us to communicate with others and helps us to overcome times of greater stress. It has nothing to do with being weak. It is one of the greatest evolutionary achievements of the human being.
What to do when crying worries us?
There are circumstances in which sadness is not temporary. In these cases, it is preferable to seek quality psychological care.
The team of psychologists in Madrid Avance Psicólogos recommends starting therapy, either in face-to-face or online mode. With different techniques of cognitive restructuring, we will soon see life through different eyes and we will be able to give an accurate and considered interpretation of our reality.
