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,
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) is
released.
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.
Sources of this study:
1."A Big Mystery: Why do we laugh?" 27 May 1999.
2. Frey, William H. II. Ph.D. Crying: The Mystery of Tears. Minnesota:
Winston Press, 1985.
3. Greig, John Young Thomson M.A. The Psychology of Laughter and Comedy.
New York: Cooper Square Publishers, 1969.
4. "How Laughter Works." 13 April 2000.
5. Lutz, Tom. Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, 1999.
6. Moody, Raymond A. Jr., M.D. Laugh after Laugh. Florida: Headwaters
Press, 1978.
7. "Why we laugh."