Imagine this: You’re watching a sappy movie, your emotions bubbling up like a pot of spaghetti on the stove. Suddenly, without warning, the floodgates burst open. You’re crying buckets and you can’t even blame it on the onions this time. 

Or perhaps you accidentally drop your sandwich on the floor (we’ve all been there). And just like that, you find yourself in a full-blown crying session over something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t all that important. Sound familiar? Congratulations, you’ve just experienced the absurdity of crying.

But hold up – what if I told you that those salty tears have some seriously surprising benefits? Let’s explore why shedding a few tears might just be the best thing you do all day.

Crying is such a natural and instinctive response to our emotions, yet, as children, we’re often taught to “stop crying” or to “be strong.” From a young age, society instills in us the notion that tears are a sign of weakness, something to be hidden or suppressed. We’re told to put on a brave face, to bottle up our emotions and to soldier on regardless of how we feel inside. However, in reality, humans cry. In fact, research suggests that women experience crying episodes approximately 3.5 times per month, whereas men tend to shed tears about 1.9 times within the same timeframe.

Already back in the days of ancient Greece and Rome, scholars and physicians were onto something fascinating about crying. They didn’t view tears as a sign of emotional fragility; instead they saw them as a natural way to cleanse and purify our minds and bodies.

Now, as many don’t know, humans produce three types of tears: basal, reflex and emotional. Basal tears maintain eye moisture, reflex tears flush out irritants and emotional tears respond to feelings, containing higher stress hormone levels. And yes, usually when we talk about crying, we mean the emotional kind.

So why should you cry? And, mind you, my reasoning here is based on actual research.

For one, crying seems to have a soothing effect. It reduces stress, calms us down and helps us regulate our emotions. It also acts as a social benefit in that it helps us get support from other people (who can help soothe us as well). 

Now, according to the same research paper, shedding emotional tears also releases oxytocin and endorphins. Both oxytocin and endorphins belong to a group that we refer to as “happy hormones.” Oxytocin is the hormone of love (oxytocin lowers amygdala activity, which helps increase calmness and well-being while reducing stress and anxiety), while endorphins will give you a wave of pleasure after stress. Crying also increases your tolerance level of pain. This is most likely due to the opioids that get released when crying. So yes, crying might actually cause your body to release happy hormones, increase your mood and make you feel better overall.

So, I think we’ve established that crying is good for you. I can even add to that because research also suggests that suppressing negative emotions and holding back tears isn’t beneficial either. It is called repressive coping and can weaken the immune system and increase our risk of cardiovascular diseases, as well as mental health conditions (think anxiety, depression and stress – a college student’s best buddies).

However, just to be clear, while crying is natural and good for you, too much crying (or crying for no reason on a frequent basis) may be problematic. As always, everything is good in moderation.

Another point I want to bring up is that by being accepting of our tears, we can help normalize our emotions. By accepting and embracing your tears, regardless of gender, we’re acknowledging the full range of human emotions. This inclusive approach can help dismantle toxic masculinity norms, promote emotional authenticity and destigmatize crying.

And for those feeling particularly adventurous, Japan believes in the importance of crying to such an extent that they have opened “crying clubs” known as rui-katsu (meaning “tear-seeking” in Japanese). In these clubs, you gather to watch sad movies and cry together in a communal sobbing session.

So, the next time you feel the urge to cry, don’t hold back. Let those tears flow freely.

Lara Kilchenmann is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].