It is common knowledge that, physiologically, tears lubricate the eyes. But why do we cry in the face of a sad or happy event?
More than three hours and still no reply. I think I’m about to cry…
I’d like to know this, too. I’ve heard some vague notions, but never any thing resembling a solid theory.
Darwin devoted all of Chapter VI of his The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) to a discussion of weeping from sadness. And Chapter VIII covers laughing, but see especially the passages around p209 in it for his comments on the similarities.
way cool! I’m now weeping with joy. Some good bedside reading. Thanks again.
perhaps Desmond Morris has written on this subject as well.
IIRC, chromatographic analysis of tears from weeping (emotional tears) reveals the presence of many chemicals (hormones, enzymes, and neuropeptides)
Tears resulting from irritation to the eye (corneal washing/cleaning) have much lower levels.
I have heard it suggested that this is a mechanism to reduce the levels of such emotion-related substances in the body, and is a part of the reason that we feel better “after a good cry”.
On the other hand, it may just mean that the body has a much higher level of all that stuff when we are emotional.
All I could find in Desmond Morris was a reference to crying as an infantile distress signal, and weeping as a consequence of emotional disturbance.