Be kind whenever it’s possible. It’s always possible.
Why do we cry when we’re happy?
[The] almond-sized hypothalamus can’t tell the difference between being happy or sad or overwhelmed or stressed. […] All it knows is that it’s getting a strong neural signal from the amygdala, which registers our emotional reactions, and that it must, in turn, activate the autonomic nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system (the “involuntary” nervous system) is divided into two branches: sympathetic (”fight-or-flight”) and parasympathetic (”rest-and-digest”).
Acting via the hypothalamus, the sympathetic nervous system is designed to mobilize the body during times of stress. It’s why our heart rate quickens, why we sweat, why we don’t feel hungry.
The parasympathetic nervous system, on the other hand, essentially calms us back down. The parasympathetic nervous system does something funny, too. Connected to our lacrimal glands (better known as tear ducts), activation of parasympathetic receptors by the neurotransmitter acetylcholine results in tear production. […]
I distinctly remember the feelings of sudden, intense relief. Of happiness. Of weightlessness. Of my heart rate slowing and my parasympathetic nervous system taking over. And, apparently, of acetylcholine synapsing onto lacrimal gland receptors, and of tears pouring down my make-up’d cheeks.
But from a psychological standpoint—beyond the neurotransmitters and stress and hormones—why do we cry at all?
A decade-old theory by Miceli and Castelfranchi proposes that all emotional crying arises from the notion of perceived helplessness, or the idea that one feels powerless when one can’t influence what is going on around them.
