"Men don't cry easily" is a phrase that describes the strength of men, as tears have traditionally been associated with women and the weak. In fact, people not only shed tears when they are sad, but also when they are extremely happy. Tears are not a symbol of weakness, but an outburst of emotions, a natural human instinct. According to a survey, 73% of men say they feel better after crying.
Can crying detoxify?
Scientists have discovered that crying can detoxify because the human eye can produce three types of tears: protective tears, which are produced to lubricate the eyes and protect the cornea; reflex tears, which are triggered by irritants like dust and smoke; and emotional tears, which are caused by sadness or joy. Not only women cry easily, but men do too. The reasons men cry are not much different from those of women. Women cry more easily than men not because they are more emotionally fragile, but because of the difference in hormone levels between the sexes. Medical professionals believe that not crying when sad is harmful to health, equivalent to chronic suicide. They found that men who suffer from ulcers and schizophrenia are mostly those who suppress their tears. Some experts also believe that certain illnesses worsen because patients cannot find relief through tears.
The benefits of crying
From a medical perspective, occasional crying is highly beneficial to human health. American scientist Frey discovered that crying can expel chemical substances produced in the body and alleviate sorrow and sadness. He also found that people who do not cry for long periods have a higher incidence of illness compared to those who do. Clearly, shedding tears is also a form of self-protection. It not only relieves tension but also releases deeply hidden emotions, making one feel clear-headed and somewhat comforted after crying.
A research group from the former Soviet Union's Academy of Medical Sciences found that crying can even treat certain diseases. Researchers first caused minor injuries on the skin of test mice, then introduced an irritant into the mice's eyes to make them cry. Surprisingly, this simple act of crying greatly accelerated the natural healing of the wounds, reducing the time needed for scabbing by 12 days. Even more astonishingly, when the mice's tear glands were removed, their wounds began to reopen, reversing the healing process.
Based on this, scientists believe that the secretions from the tear glands contain certain substances that, upon entering the bloodstream, can have therapeutic effects on certain parts of the body. As the former Soviet scientists noted in their report, although these substances have not yet been isolated and identified, they at least have the function of regulating skin health. When injured, people should not suppress their pain but should cry freely to speed up the natural healing of wounds.
