We must all have experienced that when waves crash almost over our heads, the string breaks and the wick breaks, but why the human body chose this method of stress relief remains a mystery even to science for the time being.
Historical allusions
During the development of medical science, many theories have emerged regarding the function of crying and its biological properties. Hippocrates For example, tears were thought to be the juices of an emotionally overburdened brain escaping through the eyes. According to the Old Testament, some parts of the heart become watery because of sorrow or overflowing with joy, and this is how tears are born.
On the popular theory of the XVII century The excitement surrounding the expansion of steam engines can be felt: accordingly, the core heats up with intense agitations, so the organ produces steam to cool itself, which condenses on the head and finally flows out of the eye-hole.
These definitions certainly describe it aptly emotions experienced while crying, However, several hundred years of research were required to uncover the scientific reality.
modern theories
In the early 1980s, William Frey, a professor of biochemistry at the University of Minnesota, devised a program with a revolutionary interpretation, According to which, tears and secretions—that is, the condition in which mucus and saliva gush together during wailing—help flush out hormones and other substances that are produced during stress or an increased emotional state from the body.
The theory has not been proven beyond doubt, but the composition of emotional tears is indeed different from those that, for example, come out of a person’s eyes while chopping an onion.
The former has measurably higher protein content, which makes it thicker, so it stays on the face longer. And why is this necessary?
social sermons
Many scientists agree that tinnitus is a function Get sympathy from others. It sends the message that the person is not on top of the situation, he is not in control of the events around him. Tears flood his eyes, so he may well enter into a potential duel with a handicap.
This could also explain tears of joy, because from an evolutionary point of view, it doesn’t matter whether a person becomes vulnerable because they can’t handle a sudden positive emotional impulse or because their love has left them.
Crying has another important function during conflict situations, which is this Production of oxytocin and endorphins. These hormones have a calming and balancing effect, so they can also smooth the course of the discussion.
Opening image: shutterstock
