Crying is an emotional release and if you feel the need to cry you should let it out. Here are a few facts about the act of crying. I thought they were interesting, so of course I wanted to share.

  1. Emotional tears have a different chemical composition than tears caused by irritants, such as onions.
  2. Crying in public was considered normal until the Industrial Revolution, when diligent unemotional workers were needed to operate machinery.
  3. Men’s tear ducts are smaller than women’s tear ducts.
  4. One major stress hormone released from the body via tears, prolactin, is found in much higher concentration in women's bodies than in men's. (This makes sense when you consider that the hormone is also implicated in the synthesis of breast milk).
  5. In Japan, crying for emotional release is all the rage, or so reports the Independent. The Japanese call it the "crying boom" - everyone wants a bit of sadness in their lives. Instead of going to a karaoke bar after work to wind down, businesspeople watch weepy films (called "tear films") at these crying clubs. There is also a huge demand for sad TV dramas and books, each graded by its ability to induce tears.

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