Why Does Crying Make You Feel Better?

Crying is a natural response of humans to different situations. Humans cry when they are sad as well as happy. For years, it has been assumed that crying is a sign of weakness. However, today science has something completely opposite to say. Believe it or not, science believes that crying helps humans in a number of ways. It relaxes the brain and allows the stress to exit. There is a reason psychiatrists force patients with depression to cry. Therefore, let us discuss how crying helps human beings and several important benefits. Let’s begin.

Why do we cry?

Apart from cutting onions and in physical pain, humans tend to cry when they are deeply affected by something. It could be happiness, love, sadness, or frustration. The COVID epidemic has caused many to lose their lives and jobs. As a result, people have undergone a tremendous amount of loss both mentally and emotionally. Scientists believe that only humans are capable of tearing up due to the fact that humans are social animals but the subject has been argued by many.

Cry or not to cry?

When it comes to crying, scientists state that one should not hold his/her emotions inside. This is because holding your emotions will actually make you feel worse. With time, the emotions and feelings will accumulate and affect your mood and stress levels. Crying is a natural phenomenon and not a sign of weakness. Even the toughest have atleast cried once in their lifetime. Therefore, if one is frustrated or distressed to the point where he/she feels crying, it is better to let the emotions out.

Tears allow us to see

Believe it or not, tears help us to see clearly. It is not mere water running down our cheeks but lubrication for eyeballs as well. In addition to that, several mucous membranes are also lubricated along the way. If the eyes remain dry, humans feel pain and that is one of the primary purposes of lubrication. Scientists say that eyes without regular lubrication will simply be blocked. Meaning that human beings will not be able to see.

Tears kill bacteria

Whenever we step out of the house, our eyes capture dust, debris, and germs. Luckily, humans have an in-built tearing system that not only lubricates the eyeballs but fights away the germs as well. Therefore, there is no need for Clorox wipes because we have tears. Tears act as antiviral and antibacterial agents that help protect the eyes from infections and bacteria procreation. Tears happen to contain an enzyme called ‘lysozyme’ that kills 90-95% bacteria within 5-10 minutes.

Tears remove toxins

Biochemist William Frey has done a tremendous amount of research on tears and came to find out that tears as a result of grief and distress tend to contain comparatively more amount of toxic byproducts than tears caused due to irritation such as onion peeling. Furthermore, the tears help us remove toxins from our bodies that are produced as a result of stress. Think of it as a massage session, the only difference is that it costs a lot less.

Crying helps elevate mood

Science states that people who tend to contain a high amount of magnesium are more likely to be victims of depression and anxiety etc. It is only when the magnesium level is balanced that we feel a lot better. With that being said, crying helps reduce the magnesium level. In addition to that, emotional tears contain 24% more albumin proteins that help the small molecules travel around our bodies.

Crying reduces stress

It can be said without a doubt the carrying helps relieve stress. Overtime, our body is filled up with chemicals that will only be pushed out if we cry. The imbalance of certain molecules and hormones directly affects mood and stress tolerance. Therefore, if you were to suppress crying, especially tears, your stress level is bound to drop. As a result, you have comparatively fewer chances of experiencing heart and blood pressure problems.

Crying is a call for help

Crying is a call for help and there is no better way of saying it. Some people tend to accumulate hard feelings, sorrows, and several other negative emotions inside them for quite a long time. As time passes, it only needs a little push for a person to let those emotions out. We all have that one person in our social circle whom we have hardly ever seen cry. However, when an extremely distressful situation comes up, they cry for days and sometimes even months. The reason being that the negative feelings were held inside for so long that there was no escape. Consider it as an air blue balloons. All it needs is a pin to let all the air out.

Crying brings people together

Most often we see people crying and in stressful situations. It is that time when we would like to provide a helping hand. As humans help each other go through stressful situations, it builds communities. This is why you see so many communities related to homeless kids, drug addicts, and several other types of people popping up in every part of the world. These communities come together to share experiences and help those in need. Furthermore, these communities have proved to play an integral part in helping those who are either undergoing or have gone through the worst life experiences. Therefore, when you see someone crying, hold their hand, and tell them everything is going to be fine.

Final Word

As opposed to what many people think and believe, it is totally ok to cry. Science has already through several pieces of research, proven that crying is indeed beneficial to humans. Therefore, if you feel the need to cry, don’t hold back the tears. Instead, let them flow as it is a healthy way to express emotions.