WHAT ARE TEARS AND WHY DO WE CRY?

Crying is one of the most complicated human processes and neurologists still do not understand fully all that takes place. St Francis of Assisi is said to have gone blind from too much crying. No other animal sheds emotional tears (as opposed to tears of irritation) as Charles Darwin, confirmed in his book. But what causes emotional tears? The philosopher William James, following Darwin, considered emotions to be little different from reflexes occurring without prior rational thought. Hormones certainly have some influence. Thus women cry more and more easily than men. Neurologists are unsure of the precise pathways of the nerves controlling the glands that release hormones, let alone what happens in the brain to stimulate them. They have, however, identified two different memory systems: one declarative and one emotional.

Tears are first a liquid process of lacrimation to clean and lubricate the eyes. The word lacrimation may also be used in a medical or literary sense to refer to crying. Strong emotions, such as sorrow or elation, may lead to crying. In humans, the tear film coating the eye has three distinct layers, from the most outer surface to the inner: The lipid layer, contains oils; The aqueous layer contains water and other substances such as proteins; The mucous layer contains mucin. Having a thin tear film mucus layer may prevent you from wearing contact lenses. One lacrimal or tear gland is located in each eye, behind the upper eyelid. There are three types of tears: Basal tears, Reflex tears, Crying or weeping (psychic tears):

Tears brought about by emotions have a different chemical make up than those for lubrication; emotional tears contain more of the protein-based hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and leucine enkephalin (a natural painkiller) than basal or reflex tears. Crying is beneficial to health and mental well-being. Crying will definitely help release tension and emotional dams in the mind and body.