Crying is as natural as laughing, being afraid, and getting excited. There is no definite answer to the question of why we cry, because the only reason we cry out of tears is not to be sad. So much so that sometimes we can be very sad without a tear coming from our eyes, and sometimes even if we burst into tears and cry, we are not actually sad. Yes, it’s pretty complicated.
The crying of a newborn baby is not the same as the crying of an adult woman or an adult man. Of course, gender inequality also plays a big role in this situation, but interestingly, crying and shedding have come to a different point in the evolutionary process. Now let’s dive a little deeper and look at some interesting facts about things like crying and shedding tears.
Interesting facts about crying and tears:
- Women cry much more and for much longer than men.
- Tear is a total libido killer for men.
- It is possible to talk about three different types of crying.
- We may be crying for people to pity us.
- If you don’t shed tears while crying, be suspicious.
- You can cry forever.
- Crying isn’t the reason we produce tears.
- Newborn babies don’t actually cry at all.
- Yes, crocodiles do cry.
Women cry much more and for much longer than men:
A group of men and women younger than 50 were asked; how often do you cry Women said they cried 2 to 4 times a month, while men said they cried once every 2 months. When asked about the duration of crying, 66 percent of men said it lasted less than five minutes, and 38 percent of women said they cried between 6 and 15 minutes.
The reasons for crying are common in some respects. For example, women and men cry at the same rate on issues such as death, separation and illness. The biggest difference is in daily events. While men prefer to swear in daily problems, women cry. All these data are based on studies by clinical psychologist Ad Vingerhoets.
Teardrop is a complete libido killer for men:
It is not known for certain why women cry much more than men. Estrogen does not trigger tears, but testosterone may inhibit them somewhat. Of course, it is necessary to take into account that men are raised not to cry because of gender inequality, but there is another interesting detail, sex.
Again, in a study by Ad Vingerhoets, men reported that when they smelled tears, they were not sexually aroused and even cooled off. Evolutionarily, experts have no idea why such a reaction occurs, but it is conceivable that women tried to reduce men’s aggression by shedding tears. We have no idea why it kills sexual desire.
It is possible to talk about three different types of crying:
Experts discovered that there are three different types of crying; natural crying, reflex crying, and emotional crying. Natural crying is crying where our eyes produce tears to protect itself, and it is not very obvious from the outside. Reflex crying is a condition in which too many tears are secreted in response to influences such as onions, smoke, perfume, bright light, dust, chemicals, etc. Emotional crying is the crying that occurs when we feel sad, happy, or such an intense emotion.
We may be crying for people to pity us:
It is not possible to say for sure why we cry, but in the researches, it is clearly seen that when we see someone we do not know crying, we sympathize and develop closeness towards them. Let’s visualize the evolutionary process and set up a scenario;
They came from the opposite tribe, they cut our parents and it was our turn. If we are not in a position to fight, we start to cry and the other side does not pity us and kill us. Why not? Even if this is not the case, we laugh when we are happy, maybe we cry when we are sad so that someone can see and empathize with us, and we present our tears as proof of our sadness. So it could be some kind of help sign.
If you don’t shed tears while crying, be suspicious:
Not crying is one thing, not crying while crying is another matter. Some cannot cry, but some cannot shed tears even though they cry. This is a problem because you may suffer from dry eye syndrome, a condition in which our tears are deficient. The syndrome in question affects not only crying but also eye health. In addition to some diseases, some drugs used and dry air and conditions such as staring at the screen for a long time can also cause dry eye syndrome. In such a case, you need to see an ophthalmologist.
You can cry forever:
Of course, we want everyone to laugh and no one to cry, but if you want, your body will let you cry forever because, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, we already shed an average of 114 liters of tears each year, either by crying or by other means. These tears, produced by the lacrimal glands above our eyes, flow out through small holes in our lower and upper eyelids. Since this production continues continuously, you can cry as long as you drink plenty of water.
Crying isn’t really the reason we produce tears:
While our body produces countless things every second for our survival, of course, it does not produce tears just to cry and ask someone for help. Composed of sodium, bicarbonate, chloride, and potassium, our tears are actually produced to wet our nose and throat. Tears flow through the nasolacrimal ducts to the back of our nose and into our throat, mixing with mucus and wetting it. This is why our noses run when we cry.
Newborn babies don’t actually cry outright:
When we think of crying, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is newborn babies. These tiny people cry with all their might when they are under their feet, hungry or feel any discomfort, but of course, this is not like the crying we know. They themselves use it as a form of communication. In the first few months, babies cannot produce tears either. Maybe we use this cry reflex that we developed as a baby even in our adulthood, who knows?
Yes, crocodiles do cry:
The term crocodile tears and the myth that crocodiles cry first appeared in the book The Voyage and Travel of Sir John Mandeville, written in the 15th century. In the book, it is told that crocodiles cry when they eat people. A 2007 study revealed that crocodiles do indeed cry while eating their prey. Apart from crocodiles, there are many other creatures that cry, but we do not know exactly why these creatures shed tears except to protect their eyes.
We talked about some of the extraordinary information you’ve heard for the first time about crying and shedding tears, one of our most human and emotional acts. While it’s hard to come up with a definitive answer to why we cry, let’s face it, some are good at using tears as a weapon.
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