Humans are probably the only creature that cries for emotional reasons. Psychologists from the Universities of Ulm and Sussex (Great Britain) have now divided the tears into five categories. What they have in common is that they always appear when needs are not fulfilled or very intensively met.
According to the research team, loneliness stems from an unmet need for closeness. They also include tears of heartbreak or homesickness in this category. Other categories are powerlessness, being overwhelmed, harmony and media consumption, as described in the magazine “Motivation and Emotion”.
An example of harmony is tears of joy, impotence can be tears in response to the news of the death of a loved one. To investigate crying, the research team conducted two online surveys on emotional tears. 720 people were interviewed, 91 people kept a daily diary.
Younger people tend to cry when they are overwhelmed
For example, it was found that younger people cry more often than older people because they are overwhelmed. Another finding was that there is still a lack of information about how tears affect whether one person supports another. Identifying the five categories can help answer such questions in the future.
So-called basal tears, which keep the eye moist and protect, and tears as a reflex response to cold, wind or when cutting onions were not considered in the study.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
