FACT: The chemistry of crying relieves stress

There are three different kinds of tears produced by the eye. The first is for lubrication. This is a thin layer of liquid around the eyeball that keeps things moving, and smooths out the lens so we can see clearly. We typically produce 5 to 10 ounces of this stuff per day, replacing that which evaporates.

The second kind is the rinse cycle. If you get some sort of irritant… dust, chemicals, fingers… in your eye, your reflexes will produce a flood to clear it out. Interesting to note, “watery eyes” are actually caused by dry eyes. A lack of the first kind of tear (lubricant) causes the second to be produced.

Finally we have good old fashioned emotional crying. The neat discovery is that the chemistry of an emotional tear is different than the others, and these unique chemicals are the same that have been linked to increased stress and depression in the body. So emotional crying is your body’s way of removing these troublesome chemicals from the system.

Turns out, when your BFF tells you “It’s good to let it out”, she’s being supportive AND scientifically factual!