The act of crying is an emotional response to sadness, anger, happiness, relief, and frustration. But have you ever asked yourself how these emotional tears are produced? Dive in to find out the outline of how emotional tearing process occurs, and the benefits of emotional tears.
How are emotional tears produced
1. Sensitive trigger
- The brain gets triggered by an emotional event such as sadness, anger, happiness etc.
- It can be stimulated by memories, thoughts, movies, or a certain emotional situation occurring at the particular moment.
2. Limbic system activation
- The emotional trigger activates the limbic system where the emotional processing occurs.
- The emotional reaction gets processed through the amygdala (component of the limbic system).
- The autonomic function is regulated through the hypothalamus (component of the limbic system),
- The hypothalamus sends signals to the parasympathetic nervous system which controls tear production.
3. Tear production
- The parasympathetic nervous system activates the lacrimal glands which are producing tears, and are located above the eye’s outer corner.
- The emotional tears contain several chemical compounds such as stress hormones adrenocorticotropic and endorphins, neurotransmitters which act as natural pain killers, and other hormones linked to emotions and stress.
Emotional tears benefits
1. Calming effect
- The secretion of endorphins through the lacrimal glands can improve your mood and encourage relaxation.
- That’s why you might feel sleepy after crying.
2. De-stress
- Emotional tears are releasing stress hormones which can reduce stress levels.
3. Cleans the eyes
- Tears contain lysozyme which kills bacteria and cleans the eyes.
- That’s why you might notice vision improvements after crying.
Takeaway
Crying is a natural process which every human being experiences while encountering certain emotional situations. The tearing process offers a wide range of benefits, including stress relieving, relaxation, and improved vision. Even though some people associate crying with weakness, this is a natural body response to certain situations, which varies from person to person as some people cry more or less often.
