Why we laugh and cry
by
Wendy Norlund
________________
As humans
we laugh and cry, but seldom do we question how, or why. There are many
processes involved in both responses. Cultures around the world allow both
crying and laughing as acceptable behaviors. With crying, as well as
laughter, the body goes through physical or chemical changes. Crying and
laughter are beneficial to us both emotionally and physically. We must have
them to function in the world.
Crying is
a more complicated process than one would at first imagine. First of all, there
are really three different types of tears. Basal tears keep our eyes lubricated
constantly. Reflex tears are produced when our eyes get irritated, like with
onions or when something gets into our eyes. The third kind of tear is produced
when the body reacts emotionally to something. Each type of tear contains
different amounts of chemical proteins and hormones. Scientists have discovered
that the emotional tears contain higher levels of manganese and the hormone
prolactin ( Highly elevated levels of prolactin decrease the levels of sex
hormones — estrogen in women and testosterone in men ) , and this contributes
in a reduction of both of these in the body; thus helping to keep depression
away. Many people have found that crying actually calms them after being upset,
and this is in part due to the chemicals and hormones that are released in the
tears.
How then
actually do we cry? The psychic tears (or emotional tears) require an emotional
response, or trigger to be activated. This response can be caused by an outside
source, either pain or loss of love, etc., or from an inside source
(self-realization of one's life and others). When emotions affect us, the
nervous system stimulates the cranial nerve, in the brain and this sends
signals to the neurotransmitters to the tear glands. Thus, we cry .The largest
tear gland, the lacrimal gland produces the tears of emotion and reflex. Many
believe that the body, in times of emotional stress, depends on this gland to
release excess amounts of chemicals and hormones, returning it to a stable
state.
There are
many culturally acceptable reasons to cry in society .The first accepted reason
to cry is probably death. Grieving includes crying and often times it was
believed that if someone did not cry, they would suffer physically because they
did not release their pain. Experiences in life and love are other reasons
society allows us to cry. Women have been allowed to cry more than men
traditionally, but the benefits of crying seem to suggest that men need to cry
more. Cultures around the world have crying out of obligation, for show, and
for grief and pain. Each culture defines where and when it is acceptable to
cry. Cultures, in some parts of the world, sometimes determine the length of
crying and mourning. For example, in the Zuni culture, a chief allows the mourners
of the dead to cry for four days after which the chief says that the death
occurred four years ago, and now the mourning may end.
As well
as with crying, laughter is also acceptable culturally for a variety of
reasons. Often, just because of where a person lives, something may be funny
and make them laugh. It may not be funny anywhere else in the world. Also,
their culture and community may dictate what is appropriate to laugh at and
what is not. People have often said, "Laughter is the best medicine,"
and they may not be too far from the truth. When we laugh, the body makes
facial gestures and sounds. The body relaxes during laughter. The diaphragm,
abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles all get a workout.
Scientists have found that laughing
one hundred times is equal to a ten-minute workout on a rowing machine, or
fifteen minutes on an exercise bike. Laughter helps promote healing in the body
by lowering blood pressure and increasing blood flow. When we laugh, the
production of T -cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase, and more Gamma
interferon (which is a disease fighting protein) isreleased. Laughter has been
found to reduce the amount of stress hormones and help us cope with our lives
better. When others laugh, sometimes the laughter can be contagious. Everyone
around them starts to laugh. Some people, when stressed or upset, go to a funny
movie or a comedy club hoping to laugh all of their negative emotions away.
There is
a special name for the physiological study of laughter. It is called
Gelotology. Scientists have discovered that within four- tenths of a second of
seeing something humorous, an electrical wave moved through the cerebral cortex
of the brain. If the wave took a negative charge, there was laughter. Many areas
of the brain are involved in making us laugh. The emotional, the intellectual,
and the sensory processing parts of our brain all playa role in stimulating the
motor sections of our brain to physically make us laugh.
Researchers
have found that laughter is used in making and strengthening our connections
with each other. People that are more dominant, like a boss or head of a
family, for example, use more humor than others around them. Laughter becomes
away to show power over the emotional climate of the group. When someone is
embarrassed or threatened, laughter can defuse the situation by deflecting the
anger and accepting humiliation.
We need
both laughter and tears to help us function in society. Crying relieves stress,
reduces hormone and chemical levels in the body, and helps us return to a calm
state. Laughter relieves stress, stimulates healing, exercises certain parts of
the body, and helps in human bonding. That is why crying and laughing are
beneficial to us both emotionally and physically.
