Why do people cry?

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Think about the last time you cried – was it because you’d fallen down and hurt yourself? Watched a sad movie? Or maybe you were just playing outside and got dirt in your eye. But that’s a lot of different examples – is there any one reason why people cry? 
 
According to scientists, there are three different “types” of tears that cause humans to cry: basal, reflex, and emotional. Basal tears are what keep your eye from drying out, like when you’re outside on a really windy day. Reflex tears keep the eye clean after it’s been irritated, such as when you’re cutting onions. And emotional tears happen when you find yourself extremely sad, happy, angry…or even just after you trip and skin your knee.

Though these emotional tears may be caused by many different feelings, scientists say that they all cause the same actions. When you experience a strong sensation, chemicals in your body will rise or drop drastically, which is what causes feelings like happiness, sadness, or anxiety. Crying is a way for your body to get rid of stress and get those chemicals back to their normal levels, which is what makes you feel better in the end.

Crying can also be a form of communication! Have you ever spent time around a baby? He or she might not be able to talk that well yet, but you can bet that when they cry you pay attention to what they want: food? Diaper change? Or maybe even just a burp!

Are humans the only animals that cry?
While researchers have found that animals with tear ducts, like chimpanzees or cats, are capable of basal and reflex tears, there is not enough information to tell whether any animal besides the human is capable of emotional tears.

But that doesn’t mean animals aren’t able to feel emotions! Though they don’t cry, elephants are definitely able to express sadness when a relative dies, and will travel long distances year after year to see the body, much like humans will visit a cemetery. If you have a pet dog, you can probably tell if it’s happy, sad, or just has to go to the bathroom depending on its actions, like wagging its tail. And you should make sure to read the story linked below about a whale who got tangled in fishing lines – after a team of marine biologists cut her free, she swam around to each one to thank them! How is that for expressiveness!