Whenever You Cry

What happens when you cry?

What happens when you cry:

• The eye secretes 50 to 100 times its normal amount of fluids.

• Tears are produced by the lachrymal glands, an almond shaped sliver of tissue surrounded by tiny muscles, triggered into a squeezing action by any stimulation, from a piece of fluff that flies into the eye, to the sight of something that hurts you emotionally. The muscles squeeze out the liquid from your eyes.

Body temperature rises, the heart beat goes up, and lungs and respiratory muscles pound.

If you cry when you get angry, find it impossible to take criticism without tears welling up, or regularly sniffle your way though soppy films, take consolation; crying is a healthy outlet that could even protect you from cancer.

So why don't men cry as much as women?

Because women have higher levels of prolactin, one of the hormones that stimulate breast growth. It's not known whether prolactin itself stimulates tears or women have more prolactin-rich tears, because they have more of it in their systems. However, it is clear that as women approach menopause, the prolactin levels drop by 40 per cent, which is why in later life, instead of crying, they have panic attacks or depression.

Psychiatrists say that it is healthier to give in to our desire to sob. The professional mourners of yore served a purpose: to make stunned family members break down and cry. Actually, the benefits increase if someone hears you cry and recognizes your sadness, rather than just shedding solitary tears into a pillow. The emotional SOS brings relief when someone picks up the distress signal, and this may even reduce high blood pressure.

Crying is also a healthier way to live. New research shows that women who don't express their grief after a death or divorce, may be more vulnerable to breast cancer.