Crying is a natural phenomenon and the response to various emotions, including sadness, grief, happiness, frustration and anger. Although there is a common stereotype that women cry more often than men or that they cry for no serious reason, the truth is that all genders cry more than people might assume. So, whether you are a man or woman, crying is a normal thing and recommended in some situations. According to a survey, in the United States, women cry an average of 3.5 times per month and men cry an average of 1.9 times a month.
Given the fact that people can cry not only in response to emotional states, there are also three types of crying (or tears), namely:
- when your eyes secrete basal tears (an antibacterial liquid) to keep your eyes moist every time you blink;
- when you are exposed to smoke, wind and onions, your eyes will release reflex tears to flush out these irritants;
- in response to emotional states – these tears usually contain a higher level of stress hormone.
Now that we know how crying works, we need to understand what are its effects on human health. Just like anything in life, crying can have both positive and negative effects. For example, according to Jill E. Daino, LCSW, BC-TMH, a New York-based therapist, “letting yourself cry has important mental health benefits. Crying helps us release and move through emotions in order to process them and get them from the inside to the outside.”
But that’s not all that you need to know about crying because there are side effects as well. However, if you want to find out how crying can affect your physical and mental health, keep reading!
