First, many species of animals whine or cry when they are in pain.
This is not just a human event. But it is believed that the only species that shed tears emotionally is human, which is very reasonable and understandable: since the brain regions associated with emotions are the most developed species of human, the only animal species whose reactive phenomena also evolve with these emotions is human.
In addition, "tear", which is actually a liquid that flows when we are touched or feel pain, is not just a liquid that normally exists for this purpose, as it is known. Its main purpose is to keep the eye moist by spreading a thin layer over the eye during the movement of the eyelids. Why should our eyes stay moist? The first reason is to keep the vision clear. The second reason is because our eyes didn't evolve to live on land. As you know, our first ancestors were species that lived in the seas and were the ancestors of fish. There is no such problem as keeping the eye moist in the seas. But the eyelids and tears have evolved to keep the eye moist with the coming ashore.
Some scientists (especially psychologists) believe that tears and crying are important for social life. Jesse Bering, director of the Institute for perception and culture at the University of Belfast, suggests that perhaps individuals who cry well may have been more successful in social life. He notes that crying is the best way to show that a person is in a weak state. He suggests that the most important reason for this is that with the development of our perception, our feelings of empathy also develop, and for this reason, when we see someone crying, we want to help with pity, so those who cry can get more help by spending less energy. But because of social relationships that have become more complex later, he believes that crying from the near future has increasingly taken on a negative meaning.
It is clear that a regulatory element in social relations still crying: crying during an argument or a fight from an aggressive person due to feelings of calm can cause empathy gained in our evolutionary past, and also helps people maintain mental balance.
In addition, "tear", which is actually a liquid that flows when we are touched or feel pain, is not just a liquid that normally exists for this purpose, as it is known. Its main purpose is to keep the eye moist by spreading a thin layer over the eye during the movement of the eyelids. Why should our eyes stay moist? The first reason is to keep the vision clear. The second reason is because our eyes didn't evolve to live on land. As you know, our first ancestors were species that lived in the seas and were the ancestors of fish. There is no such problem as keeping the eye moist in the seas. But the eyelids and tears have evolved to keep the eye moist with the coming ashore.
Some scientists (especially psychologists) believe that tears and crying are important for social life. Jesse Bering, director of the Institute for perception and culture at the University of Belfast, suggests that perhaps individuals who cry well may have been more successful in social life. He notes that crying is the best way to show that a person is in a weak state. He suggests that the most important reason for this is that with the development of our perception, our feelings of empathy also develop, and for this reason, when we see someone crying, we want to help with pity, so those who cry can get more help by spending less energy. But because of social relationships that have become more complex later, he believes that crying from the near future has increasingly taken on a negative meaning.
It is clear that a regulatory element in social relations still crying: crying during an argument or a fight from an aggressive person due to feelings of calm can cause empathy gained in our evolutionary past, and also helps people maintain mental balance.
Similarly, crying can also give away the feeling of shame. This, in turn, can cause the other party to soften, indicating that they are ashamed of the negative behavior of the crying person. Again, this is a situation that is useful in regulating social relations.
Scientists define 3 types of crying: the first, as we say, is a moisturizing liquid that flows to keep the eyes moist and is secreted so that it does not overflow from the eye spring. The second type is a reflexive tear, which our eye secretes as a weapon against infections when it acts as a stimulus to our eye (such as onions, fingers, dust). And the third is the emotional tears we explained above. These types are separated from each other not only by their physical properties, but also by their chemical content. Our brain allows tears to flow in different chemical mixtures in different situations. For example, in emotional tears, the element manganese and the hormone prolactin are more common. Removing these two chemicals from the body reduces the stress felt by the individual, thus becoming a useful adaptation. For this reason, when we cry for emotional reasons, we often feel relief.
The biochemistry of crying is not very different from other secretion events. If certain stimuli stimulate the brain, tear gas is stimulated from the cranial nerve and tears are synthesized. For example, emotional and reflexive tears are secreted by the lacrimal Gland (Lacrimal Gland), the largest tear gland.
Evolutionary Biologist Professor At Tel Aviv University Dr. Oren Hasson is one of the scientists studying the evolutionary origins of crying. As we explained above, his research also shows that tears are especially shed as a sign of weakness. So when we feel emotionally powerless against the other, our tear glands are stimulated. Dr. Hasson thinks this played a role in regulating the social relationships of our ancestors, who were social primates. Similarly, he thinks that crying may have provided an evolutionary benefit in protecting the powerless from the powerful.
Scientists define 3 types of crying: the first, as we say, is a moisturizing liquid that flows to keep the eyes moist and is secreted so that it does not overflow from the eye spring. The second type is a reflexive tear, which our eye secretes as a weapon against infections when it acts as a stimulus to our eye (such as onions, fingers, dust). And the third is the emotional tears we explained above. These types are separated from each other not only by their physical properties, but also by their chemical content. Our brain allows tears to flow in different chemical mixtures in different situations. For example, in emotional tears, the element manganese and the hormone prolactin are more common. Removing these two chemicals from the body reduces the stress felt by the individual, thus becoming a useful adaptation. For this reason, when we cry for emotional reasons, we often feel relief.
The biochemistry of crying is not very different from other secretion events. If certain stimuli stimulate the brain, tear gas is stimulated from the cranial nerve and tears are synthesized. For example, emotional and reflexive tears are secreted by the lacrimal Gland (Lacrimal Gland), the largest tear gland.
Evolutionary Biologist Professor At Tel Aviv University Dr. Oren Hasson is one of the scientists studying the evolutionary origins of crying. As we explained above, his research also shows that tears are especially shed as a sign of weakness. So when we feel emotionally powerless against the other, our tear glands are stimulated. Dr. Hasson thinks this played a role in regulating the social relationships of our ancestors, who were social primates. Similarly, he thinks that crying may have provided an evolutionary benefit in protecting the powerless from the powerful.
All of this seems to be useful in terms of regulating our social relationships, but what about the first cry? How did crying arise and become widespread in the population and become specialized in such a way as to provide the above positive effects? That's what we have to answer. The answer comes from a paper by scientists from the University of Turku in Finland and researchers at a children's Research Centre in Canada:
First, we have to understand that the human species is not the only species that cries. As we explained above, research shows that the body's stress decreases during crying so that it can cope more easily with difficulty and pain. In other words, other animals also aim to reduce the pressure on them by crying. In short, although it has gained social meaning in us, crying is nothing more than the expulsion of excess hormones.
In addition, it is believed that the types of crying that have evolved in such a way as to lead to our above explanations, especially emotional crying, have evolved in mammals. The first cry is caused by the pain during the first introduction of oxygen to the baby coming out of the mother's birth canal, and this is not an emotional cry, but a pain-induced cry (reflexive crying).
Emotional crying, on the other hand, is thought to come with separation from the mother in later ages, especially in mammals. As the mother moves away from the cub, the baby shows its location by crying and screaming, the mother can easily find it (if necessary). In addition, in the same article, scientists also think that crying helps children manipulate family situations. According to the hypothesis, crying Cubs receive more attention from their families, increasing their chances of survival. For this reason, crying is fixed by acquiring a place in the population from a small age.
First, we have to understand that the human species is not the only species that cries. As we explained above, research shows that the body's stress decreases during crying so that it can cope more easily with difficulty and pain. In other words, other animals also aim to reduce the pressure on them by crying. In short, although it has gained social meaning in us, crying is nothing more than the expulsion of excess hormones.
In addition, it is believed that the types of crying that have evolved in such a way as to lead to our above explanations, especially emotional crying, have evolved in mammals. The first cry is caused by the pain during the first introduction of oxygen to the baby coming out of the mother's birth canal, and this is not an emotional cry, but a pain-induced cry (reflexive crying).
Emotional crying, on the other hand, is thought to come with separation from the mother in later ages, especially in mammals. As the mother moves away from the cub, the baby shows its location by crying and screaming, the mother can easily find it (if necessary). In addition, in the same article, scientists also think that crying helps children manipulate family situations. According to the hypothesis, crying Cubs receive more attention from their families, increasing their chances of survival. For this reason, crying is fixed by acquiring a place in the population from a small age.
Also groundbreaking in human psychology, according to Sigmund Freud's "Super child" theory, emotional tears in multi-child families are thought to serve the purpose of putting pressure on children, especially the first. In short, crying is used as a tool in inter-sibling rivalry.
Why Do We Cry When We're Happy?
According to a study by psychologist Oriana Aragon of Yale University, “crying” in the face of joyful events allows us to easily control our intense feelings. In the study, a group of participants were shown photos of cute babies or a woman crying with the joy of the soldier's wife's return from battle, and the participants ' reactions were recorded. Accordingly, those who responded to joyful events by crying were able to control their emotions more quickly.
It is believed that the same control mechanism plays a role under the tendency to “laugh” in sad situations. Experts believe that by causing us to tend to make unhealthy decisions when we experience intense emotions, the negative reactions that accompany positive emotions (or vice versa) balance us and thus allow us to make healthy decisions. Aragon emphasizes that this audit makes a positive contribution to our social relations through our mental and physical health.
Result
The evolution of tears, which function for so many different purposes both in non-human animals and in the human species, is a very interesting topic and is still being investigated in depth. But it's easy to see that a phenomenon that has so much benefit gives it an evolutionary advantage.