# Tears saddness/joy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-saddness-joy/83424>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 24, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-saddness-joy/83424 "2001-09-24T00:45:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![insider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@insider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/insider)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-saddness-joy/83424/1 "2001-09-24T00:45:57Z")

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Is there any difference between tears of joy and tears of saddness? Are there any chemical/biological/hormonal differences?

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-saddness-joy/83424/2 "2001-09-24T01:11:24Z")

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Well, I find the factoid “a study was once done that proved that tears of grief have a different chemical composition from other tears” posted on the Web, but I can’t find the study itself.

Typical hit.

[http://www.bodymindhelp.com/feelings.htm](http://www.bodymindhelp.com/feelings.htm)

> [@](#):
>
> . Interestingly, researchers have found that the chemical composition of tears cried in an emotional situation differs from the composition of the tears you shed when you get something in your eye. It is as if those emotional tears were de-toxifying your system in some very physical way.

Anybody else wanna have a go? Try “tears grief chemical composition”.

[http://www.google.com](http://www.google.com)