Why do we cry?

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by Iwind in People

Why do we cry, it is a very debatable question, the question has a very complex answer as there are a variety of reasons which prompt us to cry. A normal person in his lifetime right from the stages of infancy through teenage to the stages of old age goes through a lot of changes. During this long journey he faces a variety of incidents and experiences a wide range of emotions like sadness, happiness, anger etc. One plausible explanation as to why we cry would be to say that if any of these emotions exceeds a certain threshold or tolerance limit, he/she vents it out by crying.

A person cries when he/she is swirled by physical, emotional or psychological pain. The death of a loved one, when he/she suffers a personal loss, or when you encounter an exceedingly difficult situation – say heartbreak, you tend to cry at these moments. You give vent to unpleasant emotions by crying. It has been noted that there is considerable improvement in the mood of a person after crying as it relieves stress and frustration.

When ever you cry, tears pour down through your eyes. The outpouring of emotion, brought about by a stimulus in the central nervous system, triggers the lachrymal glands. The lachrymal gland is responsible for producing tears. Crying therefore is a phenomenon characterized by the shedding of tears originating from the lachrymal glands.

Often, significant levels of depression trigger the feeling to cry. Infants cry due to their inability to communicate, as a form of non-verbal communication, when they are hungry or when they crave for something. Crying can also be caused as a result of fear. This behavior is typical in children. When there is a significant attempt to encroach personal space by people not known to them or familiar with them, infants tend to respond by crying.

There are a variety of complex factors that can cause this stimulus. We may cry to express our profound joy, sadness or anger. This behavior though is restricted to humans and is not witnessed in mammals or animals in general.

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