The Power of Tears: How Different Tears Impact Our Decisions, Thinking, and Lives.

As humans, we naturally have a response of tears to any situations or emotions that deeply affect us. Whether they are from joy, sorrow, frustration, or relief. Tears serve as a physical manifestation of our internal emotional states, often helping us process and release intense feelings. Whether in times of joy or sorrow, tears serve as a means of expressing emotions that words often cannot convey, enabling us to communicate the depth of our feelings through a simple yet profound physical reaction. The different types of tears range from person to person, causing emotions and our reactions to be perceived differently as well.

For example, tears of joy are often thought of as the body’s response to happiness or joy. However, joy can be more complex than simply feeling good in a moment of success. Take the example of a soccer team that has lost 42 matches in a row, only to win their 43rd match. At first glance, the win may seem like a simple cause for celebration. However, the parent watching this victory unfold may shed tears that are not merely joyful but are instead an outpouring of relief. Relief plays a crucial role in the emotional response to such a long-awaited victory. For months, the team has struggled, pouring their hearts into every match without seeing success. The parent, too, has witnessed this struggle, feeling their own frustration and anxiety build up with each loss. When the team finally wins, the tears that follow are not just about the joy of seeing their child’s team succeed; they are about the end of an emotional journey. The victory represents the release of months of tension, anxiety, and helplessness. In this case, the joy is not just the feeling of success but the emotional relief that comes with the cessation of stress and disappointment.

Aside from tears of joy we can also compare an alternate example such as if you were a part of a basketball team and has had experienced game losses back to back. If by your 43rd game there have been no victories this will trigger most likely tears of frustration and hopelessness. Some may even have tears of anger. These responses are all expected because of the situation. When one is angry or frustrated some people tend to have an overflow of tears. This is a different response that many people have. To the other team, maybe they perceive it as tears of embarrassment but to your coach who has been at all games, they recognize what types of tears they are. Different emotions and tears can even trigger in this example your opponents. “Why some partners are so triggered by our tears”, an article published in 2024, by Yvonne Castañeda, outlines how emotions can trigger certain responses in partners or other people. “For some, seeing you break down in tears can trigger all kinds of discomfort. They might be overwhelmed because they’ve never been taught or given permission to accept and process their own feelings; they have no frame of reference. This is especially true for individuals raised in environments in which emotional expression, especially tears, was discouraged or viewed as a sign of weakness. As a result, they may react with anger when faced with your tears because it challenges their ingrained beliefs about emotional expression.” (Psychology Today, 2024).

If you could remember a moment where you cried genuine tears of joy, would you be able to recognize the exact reason why you cried them? For example, say someone is crying tears over finally getting a car after months of not having transportation. Would the tears of joy be because of the car or because of the fact that you have transportation now? One could even argue that you only cried because you no longer have to take the bus. These tears could be tears of relief or they could just be tears of excitement. It’s impossible to say what exactly every person is crying about because they could be generally crying over a variety of things or something completely different than what you see.

According to an article by the University Of Miami, an article published in 2024, by Barbara Gutierrez, argues that there are three different types of tears. “It can be because of happiness or sadness. From pain or even relief. Experts say that there are three kinds of tears: basal tears that line our eyes and keep them wet and healthy, emotional tears that are triggered by strong feelings, and reflex tears that are shed because of irritants including chemicals.” These tears are difficult to identify because they generally all look the same. All tears are clear and running down our eyes. Typically the persons actions, of who is crying help us determine which tears they are and causes us to react a certain way. Whether it’s someone on their knees weeping, trying to hide their tears, a person who is laughing and crying, etc. These reactions can all differ and mean different things.

References:

Why Some Partners Are So Triggered by Our Tears. (2024). Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-power-of-parallels/202406/why-your-tears-might-make-your-partner-angry

‌Gutierrez, B. (2024, October). Why do we cry? Miami.edu. https://news.miami.edu/stories/2024/06/why-do-we-cry.html