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Crying can teach you a lot about yourself

Humans come into the world crying, and we never really stop. As babies, we cry in order to get attention from our parents, signaling to them that we’re angry or scared or in pain or hungry or tired. In childhood and adolescence, we cry from physical pain, like a scraped knee, but as we develop empathy in our teenage years, external catalysts — like books, movies, and other people’s pain — elicit tears. As we get older, we may be moved to tears by beauty, awe, wonder, and sentimentality, says Lauren Bylsma, an associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.

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 Teary-Eyed Evolution: Crying Serves A Purpose

One theory is that crying may have evolved as a kind of signal -- a signal that was valuable because it could only be picked up by those closest to us who could actually see our tears. Tears let our intimates in -- people within a couple of feet of us, who would be more likely to help.

 The Science of Crying

Evidence is mounting in support of some new, more plausible theories. One is that tears trigger social bonding and human connection. While most other animals are born fully formed, humans come into the world vulnerable and physically unequipped to deal with anything on their own. Even though we get physically and emotionally more capable as we mature, grownups never quite age out of the occasional bout of helplessness.

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This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Cry

Turns out, what happens when you cry is the result of an interesting chain reaction in your body. And once the process is triggered, it’s pretty hard to close the floodgates. Here’s a look at what goes on in your body when you cry—and the weird reason why you’ll probably feel better after your sobfest is over.

Why do tears come out of our eyes when we cry?

We haven’t figured out exactly why we cry when we are emotional, but we do know that the chemicals found in emotional tears are different to normal tears. Some scientists believe that these chemicals may help us feel better after we cry.

Why do we cry – and what can we learn from our tears?

Weeping is informed by everything from culture and identity to social standing – and studying it could help us better understand ourselves.

Why Does Crying Make My Nose Run?

Short answer: It's flooded with tears.