1. Tear are made up of water, oil and protein.
2. Oil is responsible for keeping the skin moist; it helps keep moisture in the body’s tissues.
When there is no oil, the skin dries out and becomes dry and brittle. Oil keeps your eyes lubricated so they don’t get chapped or irritated after being exposed to sunlight too much (they also protect them from getting damaged).
3. Protein is what makes up the cells of our bodies.
Without proteins, we would not be able to function properly. Our muscles contract because of the presence of protein in them.
If there were no proteins, our muscles wouldn’t work at all!
4. Water is necessary for life as well as maintaining bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate.
Without water, we would die.
5. A tear is produced when the outer layer of one of the two layers of corneas—the clear part that contains light-sensitive photoreceptors called rods and cones—is broken down by a chemical reaction known as photolysis.
This causes a release of free radicals, which damage the cell membrane, causing it to swell and burst open.
6. The tear then flows out of the eye and is caught by the eyelid, which is constantly moving.
When it reaches the mouth, it ends up in the back of the throat. It has not been proven why we swallow our tears.
One theory says that tears may carry toxins or other harmful chemicals that must be eliminated from the body, so they are swallowed for self-preservation.
7. Tears are not just salty, like you might think.
They contain a variety of minerals, including potassium and magnesium; however, most of their chemical composition is water.
8. The average human produces between 0.
75 and 1.5 ounces of tears per day.
This may not seem like much, but it adds up over a lifetime!
9. The average eye produces about one tear every 5 minutes, or 15,000 tears per year.
10. Babies produce more tears than adults; they may sometimes cry up to 500 ml of tears per day.
11. On average, women cry around 5 times every month while men only cry twice a month.
12. The most common reason people say they cry is from watching movies.
This could be due to the fact that most people watch sappy movies in the comfort of their own homes!
13. Also high up on the list of reasons for crying is the death of an animal, such as a pet or a farm animal.
14. Another common reason people cry is due to physical pain.
It has been shown that people are more likely to cry out in pain when their physical sensations are high. This could be anything from a paper cut to a heartbreak.
15. Finally, the least common reason people cry is due to extreme happiness.
16. The color of your tears can tell you something about the health of your eyes.
If your tears are white or clear, it could mean that you have a tumor behind your eyes, which can impair vision and cause headaches.
17. While crying doesn’t really help with pain (even when watching a sad movie), it may help strengthen relationships with other people because it is a display of emotion.
18. There are three types of tears: basal, which are produced all the time; reflex, which are produced in reaction to an irritant (like onions); and emotional tears, which are produced in reaction to an event that triggers an emotional response (like sadness or extreme joy).
19. Although crying is usually thought of as a sign of weakness, some cultures believe it to be a sign of strength.
In these cultures, it is thought that only the strongest can allow themselves to show their feelings because they are not burdened by a need to always appear strong.
20. There are many idioms about crying: “Crocodile tears,” meaning fake sorrow; “shedding a tear” to express sorrow; and “don’t cry over spilled milk,” which means that it is useless to be upset over past mistakes.
21. It is believed that crying can help heal your body.
It has been shown that people who express their feelings are more likely to make progress towards health than those who bottle up their feelings.
22. People who suffer from persistent heart conditions such as angina are advised to cry as it reduces the strain on the heart.
This may be due to the relaxation and relief felt after crying.
23. Crying can help with stress and anxiety as it is a way for the body to release built-up emotions and energy.
24. People who cry more easily also tend to laugh more easily as well.
This may be due to a greater sensitivity to their senses.
25. There are three types of people when it comes to crying: those that never cry, those that cry very easily, and those that hold their tears back.
It is thought that the latter may have issues with intimacy, as they do not want to appear weak or vulnerable.
26. A pregnant woman can make more milk available to her baby if she cries.
This reflex helps protect the baby in case of famine or other times when nutrition is scarce.
27. There is a condition where people spontaneously cry a lot.
Known as persistent crying, or benign lachrymal inflammation, it usually occurs in women between the ages of 20 and 40.
28. Some babies are born already knowing how to cry.
29. The sound of a baby’s cry is around 160 decibels; this is as loud as a jet plane taking off.
30. As babies grow, their cries change.
Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that the sound a person makes when they’re constipated is similar to the sound they make when they’re hungry.
31. It is possible that babies are born able to cry so that they can be lifted out of a pool of water in case their mother falls into the water while she is pregnant.
The sound of the baby’s cry prompts passersby to come help.
32. The sound of a baby’s cry is so annoying to some people, it causes them real physical pain.
The bigger the person, the stronger the irritation.
33. The pitch of a person’s cry can be used to calculate the size of the person who is crying.
Generally, a baby’s cry is at a higher pitch than an adult’s because babies’ vocal cords are shorter.
34. In some countries, people believe a child’s cry echoes the sound of their soul.
35. In many countries, it is thought that witches can take on the form of a crying baby in order to lure in potential victims.
36. In the U.S.
and the U.K., crying babies are thought to be the least likely to be wanted by airlines and other transportation companies.
37. A dog’s hearing is more sensitive than a human’s.
This is why some dogs respond to a baby’s cry from much further away than a human mother could.
38. For a long time, it was believed that the sound of a crying baby could cause miscarriage or infertility in mother.
39. The sound of a crying baby can stop adults from acting so rashly, such as attacking another person.
The sound can cause people to feel sympathy towards the baby.
40. In some cultures, if a baby’s cries aren’t quietened by a certain time, it is abandoned or left to die.
41. It takes about one to three minutes for a baby’s cry to change into a scream.
42. It is impossible to cry and laugh at the same time.
43. If you are on a plane when a person sitting near you starts crying, you are more likely to suffer from an anxiety attack than the person who is crying.
44. In many countries, it is considered bad luck to comfort a crying baby in public.
45. In some countries, such as Korea and Thailand, people believe that if a crying baby faces down, they will earn more money in their life.
46. There are certain types of fish which emit sounds which are similar to that of a human crying baby.
47. The sound of a baby’s cry triggers the same part of the brain which is related to nurturing.
48. The ears of a baby are more developed than its eyes.
49. A crying baby is thought to resemble one who has been thrust out into the world all alone and afraid.
50. The “Cry Room” at the U.S.
House of Representatives is kept unlocked in case a Representative needs to put a child down for a nap.
51. A baby’s cry is similar to the sound of an alarm.
52. In many countries, it is considered taboo to comfort crying babies in public places due to their loud and annoying voices.
53. Bessie Smith died in a car crash while travelling from a performance because the driver was trying to silence her crying baby in the backseat by driving recklessly and running off the road.
54. You are most likely to hear a baby cry in the late afternoon, early evening and early morning.
They are least likely to cry during the night.
55. Some babies are born with an innate instinct which causes them to cry as soon as they are born.
They instinctively cry in order to alert their mothers to feed them.
56. A mother’s voice is recognized by a baby before it is born through a procedure called imprinting.
57. The prompt sound which causes a baby to cry is different to the soothing sounds which cause it to calm down.
58. A baby can cry in the womb, and has been heard by its mother through ultrasound images.
59. Babies cry more often after their birth than they do while they are still in the womb.
60. It is impossible for a human to cry and laugh at the same time.
61. The volume of a baby’s cry is directly related to the health of the baby.
62. The intense feeling of panic which you experience when a baby won’t stop crying is called “Cry Rage”.
63. A mother’s milk can quickly relieve the pain of a baby’s teething troubles.
64. If you are within earshot of a baby’s cries, your own heartbeat will speed up.
This is known as “cry sympathy”.
65.
Sources & references used in this article:
Pictures & tears: A history of people who have cried in front of paintings by J Elkins – 2004 – books.google.com
Tears we cannot stop: A sermon to white America by ME Dyson – 2017 – books.google.com
Contesting tears: The Hollywood melodrama of the unknown woman by T Lutz – 2001 – WW Norton & Company
The child in film: Tears, fears and fairy tales by S Cavell – 1996 – books.google.com
Tragic tears and gender by K Lury – 2010 – books.google.com
