Tears of...Sorrow?

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%BlueSoulRobot%

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Why do we cry?
What is the significance of the excretion of fluid through tiny ducts that is associated with sadness? Someone could be sweating, but that's not crying.

:bugeye: :confused:
- %Blue%
 
That's interesting. I'm studying emotions right now, so if I run into this I'll post.
 
1) Evolutionary tool. When you see someone crying you assume what....that they're hurt some how (emotionally or physically), right? And so you are more likely to notice that someone is hurt and come to their aid.

2) When we are newborns we cry out of pain. We associate subconsciencly a link betewen negative things and crying.

3) How receptive are you to the outside world when you're crying? It shuts out the world.
 
yeah, but why are tears involved? These communications could exist (and do) without tears.
 
Tears exist for ocular problems and such to clean the eye. It is not fully known but the guess at the moment is that we tear during emotional pain just because it's a handy, already there form of getting attention. And a visual one to aid the audio one.
 
Here is a good book if you would like more insight.

Crying
A Natural and Cultural History of Tears
By Thomas Lutz
W. W. Norton
 
I cry when I'm angry. Quite a few of my female friends do too. We all agree it ruins the effect, men promptly think they've won.

In my experience although babies cry, they don't tend to shed tears.
 
In my experience although babies cry, they don't tend to shed tears.
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Yeah, that's curious. It's like they just wail and wail, but they don't seem to form tears. :confused: It's probably because they know they'll be getting attention anyway, from the screaming, that they don't have to cry.

Welcome to SciForums, Nannygoat Gruff! :D

But then what's up with us crying when we're happy as well?
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I think we cry when experiencing an overwhelming sense of joy is also the same as crying when we're sad. But why we even make tears at all still confuses me...Perhaps it's the muscles in our face, that somehow squeezes out the fluid through our tear ducts? :confused:
 
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