Tears: We Don’t Know It All, But We Don’t Know Nothing

I used to be a big crybaby. I mean I would tear up upon getting a papercut, bawl during the Lion King (by this point I was at least 15 years old), cry every time I fought with my boyfriend, and sob myself to sleep after finishing a really good, but depressing book. I truly let it all out and claimed to be more in touch with my emotions when my brother or the person next to me at the movie theatre made fun of me. Today, I take pride in the fact that I rarely cry. I mean sure, everyone has to once in a while, but tears no longer transpire due to tiny cuts and cartoons (usually). And while I’m happy I’ve matured in this way, I still stand in awe of the mysteriousness of tears.
While tears are important in “keep[ing] the eyeball moist, and contain proteins and other substances which maintain the eyes and combat infection,” according to Michael Trimble—author of Why Humans Like to Cry—the concept behind emotional tears is still unique and enigmatic. It’s just not clear why a movie or event can elicit buckets of tears from this person but not the next. While it likely has to do with gender, personal histories, and subject sensitivity, these elements don’t explain why our bodies produce this salty water dripping from our eye sockets. But we don’t know nothing about tears, so let’s take a look at what we have so far figured out:

It’s not just a myth, women really do cry more than men.

A study conducted by biochemist William H. Frey, PhD, in the ‘80s suggests that (on average) women cry about 5. 3 times a month, while men cry only 1.3 times per month.

Recent studies also back up these findings. So ladies, it’s time to give in—you more likely than not cry more often than your male counterpart. And gentlemen, your claims were warranted, but don’t rub it in.

There are different kinds of tears.

Different tears have different purposes and therefore have different names. Remember the ones we talked about earlier that serve to lubricate your eyes? Those are called basal tears. And the ones that protect your eyes from becoming irritated when you cut those pesky onions? Reflex tears, fittingly enough. And last but not least, the tears we’re most familiar with but know the least about: emotional tears. These are the ones that poured from your eyes when you found out you’d have to wait over a year for the next season of Game of Thrones.

Tears form in the outer part of our upper eyes.

Our tears come from something called the lacrimal gland, which can be found in the outer, upper eye.

When too many tears are formed, they actually drain into your nasal cavity before spilling out of your eyes: which, today, we obviously refer to as crying.

Tears are an important communication tool.

Tears are obviously a necessity for babies, as they are their primary communication tool. But tears may also prove to be an effective tool for others. A recent study asked participants to review images of different faces (some of which had tears digitally removed) and judge the corresponding emotions. Despite the tears not being visible to the subjects, they reported those faces as displaying pretty specific negative emotions. This suggests that tears and crying can serve as an effective form of communication with one another.

Happy and sad tears are one in the same.

They have different roots but they’re more alike than you may think. Think about it: happy and sad tears both come from intense emotional arousal, which is stimulated in the same areas of the brain. Furthermore, one theory says that crying helps your body return to its normal state, to shake that arousal, whether it be good or bad. So while different events and feelings evoke happy and sad tears, the psychology behind them is the same.

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