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- The answer appears to be yes. Medical benefits of crying have been known as far back as the Classical era. Thinkers and physicians of ancient Greece and Rome posited that tears work like a purgative, draining off and purifying us.
www.health.harvard.edu › blog › is-crying-good-for-you-2021030122020
Mar 1, 2021 · As a phenomenon that is unique to humans, crying is a natural response to a range of emotions, from deep sadness and grief to extreme happiness and joy. But is crying good for your health? The answer appears to be yes. Medical benefits of crying have been known as far back as the Classical era.
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- Detoxifies the body. There are three different types of tears: reflex tears. continuous tears. emotional tears. Reflex tears clear debris, like smoke and dust, from your eyes.
- Helps self-soothe. Crying may be one of your best mechanisms to self-soothe. Researchers have found that crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS).
- Dulls pain. Crying for long periods of time releases oxytocin and endogenous opioids, otherwise known as endorphins. These feel-good chemicals can help ease both physical and emotional pain.
- Improves mood. Along with helping you ease pain, crying, specifically sobbing, may even lift your spirits. When you sob, you take in many quick breaths of cool air.
Jun 3, 2024 · Crying may come with benefits for both the mind and body by restoring emotional balance, relieving pain, and improving mood. Here's why crying is good for you.
- Lana Burgess
- Has a soothing effect. Self-soothing is when people: regulate their own emotions. calm themselves. reduce their own distress. A 2014 study found that crying may have a direct, self-soothing effect on people.
- Gets support from others. As well as helping people self-soothe, crying can help people get support from others around them. As this 2016 study explains, crying is primarily an attachment behavior, as it rallies support from the people around us.
- Helps to relieve pain. Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain.
- Enhances mood. Crying may help lift people’s spirits and make them feel better. As well as relieving pain, oxytocin and endorphins can help improve mood.
Nov 16, 2022 · A good cry can reduce stress, bond you more closely with others and reduce physical pain. But not all crying is created equal. “Context matters when we think about the benefits of crying,” says health psychologist Grace Tworek, PsyD.
Jun 5, 2022 · Crying activates your parasympathetic nervous system, slowing your breathing and heart rate and bringing you relief. When strong emotions come on, crying helps restore you back to your normal...
Aug 13, 2019 · According to University of Queensland psychologist Lear Sharman and colleagues (2019), after a crying episode subsides, about 70% of people recall that crying was good for them, most often as a...
