There cannot be any of us who have not cried or shed tears many times over our lives. They can be brought on by a negative experience, such as the death of a loved one or tears of joy, as perhaps experienced at a wedding of people close to us. These are just two examples. However, crying is a bit more complicated than that.
It is accepted that crying can be split up into three types. The first is called basal tears and they have a positive effect on the eyes in as much as they moisten them which keeps them from drying out. There is a condition with several causes which is known as “dry eye” where the basal tears are blocked. In such cases, eye drops are administered on a regular basis.
The next variety of tears is known as reflective. They occur when some irritant enters the eyes. Perhaps one of the most common examples is when peeling onions. Many people, including myself, stream tears as an onion is cut up. Dust and other small objects can have the same effect.
The final type is called psychic tears and they are connected with our emotional state. As the name suggests they are in relation to experiencing an event, whether positive or negative, and which results in the person crying. Besides the two obvious examples above, there are many other situations which can bring on the “waterworks.”
So, what do we think is going on in the body which makes us want to cry? Scientists have analysed tears which have been brought on by the different triggers outlined above. It appears that the chemical composition is different under different triggers. For example, psychic tears have more manganese and prolactin which indicates that in these cases, the tears are there to control and help to balance out stress levels. This makes sense as a “good cry” which is called an abreaction, often reduces our emotional turmoil. The natural chemical painkiller, leucine enkephalin has also been found to be present in tears.
Finally, do men and women differ in the amount of crying they do? We have a possible answer due to the work of some German scientists who came to the conclusion that there is a difference; on average, men cry between 6 to 17 times a year and women cry between 30 to 64 times a year. In addition, they also stated that men cry for an average of 2 to 4 minutes whilst women average about 6 minutes. Exactly why this may be, I will leave it to you.
John Pullen 