7 great benefits of crying

When we see that another person is shedding tears, we tend to feel the worst. But the truth is that Crying not only serves to show nostalgia, sadness, grief, pain or anger, but it also helps us express happiness or joy. Hence, numerous studies highlight the multiple benefits of crying on people’s physical and emotional well-being.

We already see that crying allows us to express how we feel at every moment. And these feelings don’t have to be negative. Crying is natural, it is convenient and more common than people think. Just because you shed fewer tears does not make you stronger or psychologically more stable. In fact, the benefits of crying are many, and below we will tell you the most important ones!

As Lucrecia Maldonado states in her article “Tears: that mysterious country”: “Crying, in addition to being a physiological process of organic purification in the face of intense emotions, is also a means of communication.” “Through crying we can communicate our emotions”.

Not all tears are the same

People produce three types of tears. Each one has a different composition, depending on the function they are performing and their origin. The basal ones are mainly protein and allow you to keep your eyes moist after each blink. Reflexes are triggered by external agents, such as smoke or wind. Its mission is to protect against irritation.

Finally, emotional tears are shed in response to a range of emotions and they are what we mean when we say we are crying. They contain neuromodulatory elements (prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormones and leucine-enkephalin) that function as natural analgesics.

Tears have a calming effect

Crying helps us relax, release emotions and vent, but it also allows us to change and reduce a much deeper underlying condition: episodes of distress. That is to say, They have a direct effect and participate in self-care in people.

This is because Crying activates the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), responsible for maintaining or providing relaxation and rest to the body after exertion. In turn, the activation of SNP triggers a series of reactions in our body, through which it can act on the level of stress and participate in metabolic regulation. In this way, we counteract the activation of the Sympathetic Nervous System, which is what keeps us alert and activated.

Crying relieves pain and improves mood and sleep

A 2014 study found that Emotional tears release two essential substances for people to feel good: oxytocin and endorphins. In this way, our discomfort is relieved, both physical and emotional, because this hormonal burst generates a pleasant feeling and deep well-being.

Sometimes, after crying, we laugh, keep a smile, or feel enormous relaxation. How can it be that a moment ago we were soaking tissues and seconds later our mood has changed? Because the oxytocin and endorphins released They contribute, in turn, to improving the mood. Its relaxing effects, positive impact on mood, and pain relief can help people fall asleep better and fall asleep more easily.

Tears help us get rid of bacteria

Lysozyme, an enzyme present in tears, plays an essential role for people. It acts as a bacteriostatic barrier, because alters and breaks down bacteria walls. Therefore, on a physical level, it is a very effective and natural way to combat these organisms and keeps the eyes clean.

In fact, discoveries maintain that it even helps protect against substances such as anthrax and overcome the resistance that bacteria have developed to antibiotics.

Crying reduces anxiety and stress: a natural pain reliever

One of the best benefits of crying! We have already seen that by doing so we expel a series of substances through tears. Thus, when these are shed in response to stress, they release a series of chemicals that are “the cause” of that same stress. Paradoxical, right?

For example, when we cry, our manganese levels decrease; a mineral closely related to states of anxiety, nervousness or aggression. And also We eliminate adrenaline and norepinephrine, substances that we secrete in greater quantities in situations of stress or danger. For this reason, after crying we can even get sleepy. We enter a state of calm so great that it induces sleep for some people.

Crying is a call to empathy

Normally, when a person sees another person around them cry, they empathize with them and offer their shoulder. We tend to think that she needs help either because a tragedy has happened to her, or something hurts excessively, or she is deeply distressed. In any case, her crying attracts us. Our empathy and compassion cause us to approach our loved one who is crying and interact with them with a hug or a few words. Crying is capable of provoking empathy in other people. How many times have we shed a tear due to social contagion in a situation in which we had nothing to do with?

Another benefit of crying is that tears can help you gain comfort and support from the people around. This responds to an elementary attachment behavior. In fact, from this perspective, crying is a kind of wake-up call or a way to obtain a social or interpersonal benefit. As mentioned in the introduction, crying can be a form of communication. However, it is not always necessary to see someone cry, we also know when someone has cried. Thus, it helps us communicate our emotional state to another person.

Crying helps you know yourself better

Some authors, such as Michael Trimble, claim that There is a whole “science of crying”. This could explain, for example, why some people are more likely to cry than others. Other experts such as Ad Vingerhoets assure that the number of times another person cries It depends on two specific personality traits: empathy and neuroticism.

In either case, Knowing yourself better is one of the great benefits of crying. Sometimes crying is considered a sign of weakness, when, in reality, it can be a sign of emotional strength. Tears say a lot about us. They let us know what our weaknesses or vulnerabilities are, when and how much we need from others, what affects us more or less and our needs. In this way, by investigating ourselves, we can get to know ourselves better and this becomes a method of personal self-discovery.

From all this, we can deduce that crying is good for your health. By trying to hold back tears we are blocking the emotional cleansing that we so need from occurring. Therefore, let us not feel afraid, afraid or ashamed to express what we carry inside. Let’s release our anguish, pain or joy!

You might be interested…