Recently, I had tears of joy for the first time in my life.  My team won a championship. I was so happy for them that out of nowhere I started to cry. I was curious why that happens so I did some research to find out.

Where do happy tears come from? 

Happy tears also known as emotional tears come out when you get overwhelmed by extreme positive emotions. Their purpose is to quickly return you to your normal level of functioning. They are completely normal. They regulate your emotions.

What I found Interesting is that with so much research and publications done on the topic, a lot remains unclear. 

However,  the researchers at Yale say,  it’s not just a particular type of experiences that triggers you to have happy tears—it’s the extreme intensity of these emotions. 

Experiences that provoke such intense emotions are unique to each individual. 

You are special!

As you know, what triggers one person, might not have the same affect on another—as we are all different.

However, there are some universally acknowledged intensely positive experiences that are known to be extremely overwhelming to us all. 

A childbirth for example. For me, that’s one of the first things I associate happy tears with. That’s probably because in every movie , there is at least one person that can’t hold tears and starts to weep seeing that miracle of life.

For some people, It takes something different, like marrying a man of their dreams for instance. Or finally getting that diploma they’ve worked so hard for.

Or maybe witnessing a self-less act of kindness or heroism that can quickly restore your faith in humanity. Something like saving a panda from wildfires in Australia, for example. And then you say, “Oh, no…not again! Someone is cutting onions!” 🙂

But it’s not always the “big” events of our lives that make us shed the tears of joy. As I found out first hand, seeing your team winning a championship can make you weep like you never have before.

The point is, you are very special, don’t be surprised or embarrassed if you are the only one crying. It’s okay, let it all out! I say, enjoy the moment! It’s yours. 

Crying Is Normal and Good for You

The expression of emotion in general brings relief, also known as catharsis. There is evidence that crying makes you feel better. It’s self-soothing. It improves your mood and decreases stress.

However, it is known that inhibition of expression emotions may produce all sorts of mental health problems. 

Personally, for many years I did not know how to express my emotions properly. I learned to suppress emotions early on and It took me years of meditating daily to finally learn how to express myself in a healthier way. Numbing and not dealing with emotions is a sure way to trouble. Don’t take that road.

Crying Improves Mood.

When you shed your tears, you get rid of cortisol—a known stress hormone, also you clear your blood off toxic substances. But not only that. 

As you personally know, every single time you weep, it has a strong affect on everyone around you. You are sending social signals of distress. And people are very likely to drop whatever they are doing to come to rescue you. They provide you with attention, comfort and support. That’s what helps you to improve your mood. 

Interestingly enough. If you are an extrovert, you are more likely to receive relief from crying than an introvert. That’s  likely due to having better social skills which allow you to elicit social support quicker. 

Also, men have reported slightly less mood improvement compared to women. That’s  probably because we are too busy feeling embarrassed and ashamed when crying 🙂

I’m definitely one of those.