• From an evolutionary point of view, showing vulnerability has been beneficial for humans because we are such intensely social animals.⠀⠀
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• Crying is a way of asking other humans for help, or showing empathy for someone who needs help.⠀⠀
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• Most mammal offspring will make distress calls if separated from their carers, however humans are the only species who shed emotional tears. Tears on a highly visible part of the body, i.e. the face, are a way of signalling we need help without necessarily making noise that might attract predators.⠀⠀
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• The tears you shed when you're crying because of emotions have a different make-up to tears shed when there's something in your eye or you're chopping onions.⠀⠀
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• Emotional tears contain more of certain hormones, including adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which tells the body to release the stress hormone, cortisol. So crying emotional tears may release a build up of stress hormones.⠀⠀
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• If stress hormones are not expelled from the body, it can result in heart palpitations, hyperventilation, and even panic attacks. So, having a good cry can actually be very helpful.
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• Other ways to soothe stress include physical contact, exercising, journaling, deep breathing, mindfulness, and talking to someone.⠀⠀
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• For babies, physical contact is the number one way of decreasing their stress levels. Crying is their signal to their carers that they are distressed as they don't have the ability to soothe themselves.⠀⠀
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• Finally, the need to cry does not discriminate against gender. It is only our society that does.
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