Emotional tears are a uniquely human behavior. Research suggests they evolved not for eye health but as a powerful social ...

Humans are the only animal to produce emotional tears. Asking questions about this behavior can help us better understand how we live our lives. That question has many answers. To start, there are ...

Good news, bad news, a rough day, a scary movie, a poignant memory, a nostalgic smell—these are all things that can prompt a salty tear to trickle down your cheek. The sensation is quick to sneak up ...

Crying also triggers the release of feel-good chemicals, Dr. Parker says, like pain-relieving endorphins and oxytocin (the ...

Tears are unique to humans, but distress calls are common among most other mammal and bird young, often when separated from their mothers. Crying extends far beyond infancy. A University of Pittsburgh ...

Dogs get so emotional when their owners come home to them that they cry tears of joy, scientists have found. According to a paper published in the journal Current Biology, dogs are capable of ...

A dear friend of mine whom I recently lost spent most of his life near the Severn River in Maryland. The Severn is technically a “tidal estuary”—a brackish inlet off the Chesapeake Bay, where salt ...

There is this paradoxical saying, “People who cry are happier people.” Upon initial assessment, this doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense. People typically cry when they are sad, and sad people, ...

Goethe wrote about crying, “It’s not the tears we cry that hurt us, but the one’s we struggle not to cry for they drip within our sad and weary hearts.” One of our deepest human needs is to be ...

Tears help you express feelings and manage pain, but they also protect and lubricate your eyes. Difficulty crying may relate to medication, attachment style, or mental or physical health concerns. To ...