JANUARY 14
Weeping is perhaps the most human and universal of all
relief measures.
—DR. KARL MENNINGERGuess what? What women have known for a long time and
maybe men are beginning to discover—crying really does
make you feel better. And for good reason. Now we are
learning that crying has helpful physiological as well as
psychological effects.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found
that emotional tears (as opposed to those shed from exposure
to wind, say, or a cut onion) contain two important chemic-
als, leucine-enkephalin and prolactin, and that the first of
these is thought to be related to one of the body’s natural
pain-relieving substances. Tears are, they tell us, an exocrine
substance—like sweat, or exhaled air—and one of the func-
tions of such processes is to help cleanse the body of sub-
stances that accumulate under stress.
Then why are we embarrassed by our tears? Why are we
fearful they will make others uncomfortable? Often, when
people can cry, the work of healing can begin.
No more apologies. No more uneasiness. My tears are for my
healing. Perhaps, too, my tears will give others permission to cry
when they feel the need.