WHAT ARE TEARS MADE OF?
The psychology behind crying and why our eyes water
WORDS AILSA HARVEY
Did you know?
Less than one per cent of your tears is salt
Tears are a clear liquid that fills your eyes when you experience significant pain, overwhelming emotion or the invasion of an irritant, but not all tears roll down your cheeks in uncontrollable streams. If you’ve ever touched your own eyeball, you’ll know that it’s always wet. This is because tears are produced by your eyes constantly. Usually, the volume of tears produced is low enough that they don’t overflow out of your eyes. Instead they’re drained by tiny holes in the upper and lower eyelids called tear ducts.
Tears contain the salts potassium chloride and sodium chloride, enzymes, lipids and essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Lysozyme is one of the most abundant enzymes in tears, as the first line of defence against bacteria. This protein works to kill any bacteria that enters the eye, which can easily happen when you rub your eyes with your hands. But not all of the benefits of crying are physical. Psychologically, we feel differently about others when we see them cry. It can show a person’s vulnerability, and studies show that during emotional arguments, people often become less aggressive towards others when witnessing them crying. By releasing tears you’re also more likely to receive help from others, bond with them and be trusted.