Humans are the only animals known to cry tears when they feel sad, and those tears are actually a message.
What happens when you feel sad?
Small glands above your eyes keep them wet with tears all day. When you feel sad, your brain tells those glands to make a flood of tears. Your eyes cannot drain it all, so tears spill down your cheeks.
What are tears for?
Scientists think tears are a signal to the people around you. They show that you are hurting and need comfort without a word. It starts with babies who cry so someone will care for them, and seeing tears makes people more willing to help.
One more thing
Ever wondered why your nose runs when you cry? Tiny tubes in the corners of your eyes drain tears right into it.
Sources
- Time: Why We Cry
- PBS: Why Do We Cry?
- NZ Herald: The science behind human tears
- MedicineNet: 3 types of tears
- AARP: Tears (Yale ophthalmologist)
- Live Science: What are tears made of?
- Japan Times: A new reading of the old sob story
- Mindful: Why crying equals thriving
- Psychology Today: Why humans shed emotional tears
- Mental Floss: Why your nose runs when you cry
- Frontiers in Psychology: Is crying a self-soothing behavior?
