When a person cries, he does not ask the question “why?”, But simply experiences a strong feeling that makes him shed tears and change his voice. Any living person in his life has ever cried. For a child, this is the only way to report what is bad for him.
Reflex crying. Psychology of crying
A human being has the intellect, is able to distinguish between objects and phenomena, give estimates and predict. We can comment on a myriad of causes and effects, but it’s hard for objective scientists to tell what crying is and what happens to our brains at this time.
We know that crying is:
1) A reflex reaction when something gets into the eye. This phenomenon is inherent in animals.
2) An emotional reaction. Tears can be caused by emotions: sadness, pain or grief due to the loss of a loved one. After crying, it becomes easier to endure internal mental or physical pain.
3) Also very sentimental people cry.
This is not to say what actually happens and how these tears help you feel relieved. Experiencing grief after some shock, a person requires participation. At this time, he is very vulnerable. If there is no one to support him, he directs his gaze to the sky, and seeks answers to exciting questions in the infinity of space.
Some people simply do not like anyone to see their tears, and prefer to hide them, forbidding themselves to cry. Does it do any harm?
Where does crying come from?
So, it turns out that crying is inherent only to people, as their emotions are more developed. But still it remains incomprehensible, what is crying? Trying to understand this, researchers identify three functions that the “tearful apparatus” can perform in our lives.
1) Disinfecting function. The disinfecting effect of lysozyme, a substance contained in the tear fluid, has already been proven . When a person allows himself to cry, his tears kill about 90% of the bacteria they touch. Tears also constantly moisturize the eyes and prevent them from drying out.
2) Emotional rapprochement. Bitter crying in a person causes the sympathy of others. Emotionally warm people try to help, hug the crying.
3) Stress relief. Crying, a person feels that he was "falling asleep." During crying, cortisol is released, it is also known as a stress hormone. When we cry, the body is in a state of full combat readiness, when calming down, all muscles relax. This pleasant relaxation is felt as a physical relief.
Crying begins when the hormonal system acts on the lacrimal glands. Cortisol also compresses the vocal cords. Therefore, a person feels a "lump rolling up to his throat." Often cry those people who are prone to melancholy, resentment. Suppressed emotional state, as well as stress, is a provoking factor that changes the hormonal background. The hormone of tears, prolactin, is produced, and we begin to cry.
Who cries more often?
Naturally, women cry more. They freely express emotions. Prolactin is a predominantly female hormone. Masculine, tough men who have little of this hormone, for the most part, do not understand what crying is and why it is needed. They are pragmatic and make decisions, removing emotions from themselves. But then they need exactly a sensitive, “tearful” woman.
But there are still sensitive men who are not shy about expressing their emotions. Therefore, the fact that men do not know how to cry is only a myth.
Inability to cry - a diagnosis?
In the world of psychology, projecting other people's emotions on oneself is called empathy. Such people are easily upset when they see the pain of a stranger or sympathize with the hero of a fictional story. Studying this phenomenon helps to better understand what crying is.
But there are people in the world who do not know how to cry. This is the opposite pole of empathy - closed, lacking tact and compassion people. You need to be able to cry, that is, you must sometimes allow negative emotions and stress to come out.
If a person absolutely does not know how to experience neither joy, nor anger, nor grief, and tears do not burst out for years - this is a very bad sign. Such emotional "numbness" is considered by psychiatrists to be the initial signs of sluggish schizophrenia. Sometimes the inability to cry is associated with the poor performance of the lacrimal glands. This condition is called dry eye disease.
Crying as a way to alleviate an emotional state
When a small child cries, and adults at that moment cheer him up, console him, he will grow up emotionally stable and calm. And, on the contrary, many people who were forbidden in their childhood to pour out their grief later grow up lonely, not able to sympathize or very anxious.
It is known that tears also contain psychotropic enzymes that help relieve anxiety and reduce pain. Toxic substances come out with tears, as well as with urine and sweat. That is why crying is important. As it happens, you still need to find out and explore more deeply. Who does not allow himself to cry quietly at times, is forced to carry all the "dirty" enzymes in himself and is sick more often.