Most of us find women cry more than men do. Even for a simple thing, such as watching movies or reading novels, women can cry ’till their eyes get swollen. What about men..? Men scarcely have tears on their cheeks even though they are facing some terrible and unbearable problems plus a sorrowful sadness. What exactly is behind all this..? What are the reasons women have tears more often than men do..?Psychologically, women’s hearts are much softer and far more sensitive than men. Men are known for having the heart as hard as steel. It is true that this doesn’t mean men don’t cry, but the frequent of women crying is much higher. Ironically, this is because men pretend or even try their best to hold their tears which is going to roll on their cheeks as they feel ashamed. According to men, crying is done only by women and not men. On the contrary, women without any shame cry whenever they want.
A neuronal connection between the lacrimal gland (tear duct) and the areas of the human brain involved with emotion was established. No other animals are thought to produce tears in response to emotional states, although this is disputed by some scientists.Tears produced during emotional crying have a chemical composition which differs from other types of tear: they contain significantly greater quantities of hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, Leu-enkephalin and the elements potassium and manganese.
Three types of tears have been identified physiologically. Basal or continuous tears which lubricate the eye, reflex tears when chopping onions and emotional tears, which have psychological meaning. There is some evidence that the different types of tears have different chemical and hormonal compositions. Crying follows a physiological pattern which often starts with a distressing thought, memory or experience and consists of distinct patterns of restricted breathing with tears building up to a crescendo, in which the sobbing is at its most rapid and intense and after which the person relaxes. The thoughts and memories cease to evoke an intense response. It is at this stage that people often report the feeling of relief conveyed by the expression 'having a good cry'. A very similar pattern is found in laughter, particular the infectious laughter of a group, again with tears but the starting stimulus involves humour rather than sadness or loss.
According to a study of over 300 adults, on average, men cry once every month, and women cry at least five times per month, especially before and during the menstrual cycle, when crying can increase up to 5 times the normal rate, often without obvious reasons (such as depression or sadness). In many cultures, it is more socially acceptable for women and children to cry, and less socially acceptable for men to cry.
This is how one woman who has successfully overcome depression put it: "You need to acknowledge your tears and your sadness and see them as a valid reaction to things that are going on in your life .. I don't necessarily feel better in that the feelings that led me to cry have gone. I think it allows you to move on in some sense during the day you have a cry ... and I think that crying is probably really good for you because it means that you're forced to be in the moment and confront your feelings'".
