Crying ‘liquid love’
Your eyes turn glassy and your bottom lip trembles. If you are about to cry, researchers suggest you don’t hold back, but they also say if you are the type of person who doesn’t like to shed a tear, then don’t feel bad.
Your eyes turn glassy and your bottom lip trembles. If you are about to cry, researchers suggest you don’t hold back, but they also say if you are the type of person who doesn’t like to shed a tear, then don’t feel bad.
Bereavement counsellor, Mal McKissock, tells ABC Health & Wellbeing while crying is an important part of the grieving process for some, other people’s lack of tears should not be seen as a sign something is wrong – but he maintains there is no “right or wrong” way to grieve.
“You ought to be allowed to cry if you want to. And if you’re a non-crier, you shouldn’t be made to feel bad about that. What matters is you are able to express yourself in a way that is consistent with who you are,” Mr McKissock adds.
What happens to our body when we cry?
Intense emotional distress can cause our bodies to produce a number of powerful painkilling chemicals – similar to heroin and morphine. Tears are one of the ways these chemicals are distributed in the body.
According to Mr McKissock, tears carry the chemicals to the surface of our eyeballs.
With words of reassurance, Mr McKissock claims becoming upset is not a sign of “someone going downhill”.
“It is a sign you are going uphill – and it’s a very difficult haul. But you can make it. Tears are a healthy display of passion. They are liquid love,” he says.
Women reportedly cry four times as much as men and research suggests this may contribute to the greater amounts of the hormone prolactin in women.
