What is it, she asks me, why do people cry? Why do we cry…
““What is it, she asks me, why do people cry? Why do we cry when we're happy and when we're sad or hurt? I tell her what I know or think I know: that the body does not distinguish between emotional and physical pain; the muscles around the lachrymal glands receive a message from the brain, then tighten and squeeze out tears. Tears contain high levels of the hormone ACTH and prolactin, endorphins (which we know are mood-altering and pain-killing), as well as thirty times more manganese than is found in blood, suggesting that human tears can concentrate and remove harmful substances from the body. Prolactin in humans controls fluid balance; by the age of eighteen women have 60 percent more prolactin than men, which may explain why women seem to cry more often. I tell her that sadness--like happiness--is an intense feeling of being alive, of having essence. I try to explain to her my own nonscientific theory: that crying is about weight or heft, that we cry when our bodies feel too light or too heavy to bear or hold on to language.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Crying serves both emotional and physiological purposes, releasing hormones and toxins, reflecting the body's need to balance heaviness and lightness of feeling.
In simple terms: Crying releases chemicals and balances emotions.
Key Takeaway
Allow tears as a natural healing process.
Themes
tears
emotions
physiology
stress relief
Mood
introspective
relieved
empathetic
Type
Physical pain:0
Sadness:0
Science:0
Tears:0
Human Tears:0
Tears Contain:0
Body Prolactin:0
Prolactin Humans:0
When to use this quote
- health coping
- grief processing
- stress reduction
Key Concepts
neuroscience
endocrinology
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do cultural views affect your willingness to cry?
- What physical benefits have you noticed after crying?
A Different Perspective
Crying can be socially stigmatized, limiting its therapeutic use.