Misc Biology

[soonny]

Is there any biological explanations for why we shed tears or crying for that matter? besides overwhelmed with joy or sorrow, I'm interested in the reactions going in our body which causes the shedding of tears.

[moonacre]

Crying doesn't seem to have a physiological reason - it is probably just non verbal signalling like smiling and frowning. There is a small benefit in that some biproducts of stress are excreted in the tears but only in very small amounts.

[beenee]

This is obviously a more spiritual view, but some say that a bit of your soul leaves the body in the form of laughter and tears as a result of overwhelming emotion. I chose to believe this beautiful interpretation.

[sft42]

I remeber hearing a while ago that when we go past a certain point and lose self control then tears are always possible and that early on in our evolution they were a signal to others that something very good or very bad was happening. Other than this tears lubricate the eyes and stop them being irritated by dust and dirt but i'd prefer to read beenee's lovely answer even if it's not right it ought to be.