What is this Emotion Called ‘Tears of Happiness’?
Made You Smile Back is so pleased to present this new, albeit intriguing blog, exploring the powerful emotion known as ‘Tears of Happiness’. We shall explore exactly what this emotion is, the four types of ‘Tears of Happiness’ plus all the wonderful benefits that crying provides to us.
In addition, we shall learn the difference between ‘tears of happiness’ and “tears of sadness and grief”. Then to round things up, Made You Smile Back will show us how to find the right balance and to make things fun, our own ‘Tears of Happiness Quotes’.
And as always, we have our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ at the end of the blog to wrap things up. Let’s get started… shall we?
Exactly Why is This Emotion Known as ‘Tears of Happiness’ or ‘Tears of Joy’ so Powerful?
Trust me, there is absolutely nothing like experiencing the powerful emotion of ‘Tears of Happiness’. Think about it, haven’t you found yourself shedding a tear or two when you first found out you’re a grandparent and are holding your grandchild for the very first time?!
Or what about that incredible, explicable joy of being given your diploma after many years of studying and hard work? Or even receiving the news that a dangerous heart operation is a success for one of your loved ones?
Yes! Shedding these types of emotional tears are also called ‘happiness crying’, and is a perfectly natural reaction. Have you wondered why this happens? Let’s first look at this phenomenon known as simple ‘crying’.
According to a recent article from Kidadl.com, crying occurs naturally for many reasons throughout our lifespan. It’s a classic characteristic of a personal emotional response, whether anger, deep sorrow, love, empathy or even joy.
Would it surprise you to learn that these powerful emotional tears are actually unique to humans?
As far as crying tears of joy, this is the body’s way to balance out a strong emotion. According to many psychologists, shedding ‘tears of happiness’ creates emotional equilibrium. This in turn enables our overwhelmed emotional system to be able to recover better from the strong response of our powerful feelings racing through our body!
This period of extended emotion and stress is then relieved when you cry ‘tears of happiness or joy’.
Four Types of ‘Tears of Happiness’
According to Dan Brennan, MD, who writes for WebMD, a recent study suggests there are four different types of positive tears: amusement, affection, beauty, and achievement.
Let’s take a closer look at each type.
- Amusement. This type of ‘happy tears’ occurs when viewing something extremely funny or so amusing that you can’t help but shed tears.
- Affection. Tears of affection can occur perhaps when you’re at a wedding or have an unexpected rush of gratitude and affectionate feelings of warmth come over you. It’s also common to have tears of affection for someone you care about.
- Beauty. Have you ever been on vacation and traveled to destinations and you cried tears when you become overwhelmed by an astounding scene or nature? This type of emotion can also occur when overtaken by seeing a flowing waterfall or being lucky enough to view an end-to-end rainbow.
- Achievement. When reaching a lifelong goal such as receiving your bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees, then tears of ‘achievement’ happen as a result of achieving. Another example can also happen when you achieve something personally important to you or overcoming an obstacle or hurdle.
Even more interesting from this same study involving more than 13,000 people, it was found that people who live in Western societies or in societies that focus on the individual were more likely to cry tears of beauty or amusement. That said, participants who live in communal cultures showed more tears of affection.
And I’m sure it comes as no surprise to learn that women are also more likely to cry tears of happiness than men.
What are the Benefits of Crying ‘Tears of Happiness’
We all know when we do experience the powerful emotion of ‘tears of happiness’, it makes us feel better… a lot better in fact. When this occurs, our bodies release hormones also known as ‘feel-good brain transmitters’.
This is one of the wonderful health benefits of shedding tears of joy. What happens is your body starts to release oxytocin and endorphins. This in turn provides a period of extended emotion and stress is then relieved while you’re crying your ‘tears of happiness’.
How do Tears of Sadness & Happiness Differ
First and foremost, let me make something perfectly clear. Crying is an expression of feelings so there’s absolutely nothing wrong about it and in fact, is an excellent way to condition yourself to make you feel better.
How do tears of sadness and happinesdiffer? Yes, these tears are different from one another. They are created by the emotion they represent. Sometimes they are referred to as ‘Psychic Tears’. However, these same emotional tears are actually chemically the same.
Here’s a surprising fact… have you ever cried when slicing an onion? These are reflex tears. They have their own composition, which helps to get rid of whatever irritates your eye and provides a level of protection. These are known as basal tears. Their formula is very different from the tears of emotions that we experience when we shed ‘tears of happiness’ or ‘tears of sadness’.
How Much Crying is Normal?
I’m sure it comes to no surprise that women obviously cry more than our counterpart, the Alpha Male. That said it is more than likely simply the difference of the hormones we each produce. Or perhaps women are simply more empathic than men.
Researchers at Tilburg University put crying under the microscope. Their results? On average, American women cry 3.5 times each month while American men cry around 1.9 times each month.
What was interesting is that the averages by country vary considerably. Of course, the average in America is on the higher end of the spectrum. However, women in China, on the other hand, only cry about 1.4 times each month. Over in Europe, men in Bulgaria reportedly cry a mere 0.3 times each month.
The Final Takeaway…
Perhaps Washington Irving said it best:
So… the bottom line is…It’s OK to cry. If you feel the need to cry, don’t hold back your tears. Tears are a normal, healthy way to express emotion and can be beneficial to your overall well-being. So the next time you see your grandchild playing with unconditional love and bliss, don’t hold back, shed those ‘tears of happiness and joy’!
Tears of Happiness Quotes
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What are tears of happiness?
Happy tears happen when you experience emotions so intense they become overwhelming and unmanageable. When these emotions begin to overwhelm you, you might cry or scream (perhaps both) in order to help get those emotions out.
2. What emotion is tears of joy?
It’s not known exactly why we cry tears of happiness or how they are different from tears of anger or sadness. But when we cry due to something we think of as good, rather than something that’s sad, we call our tears “tears of joy”. You don’t just shed tears when you’re upset.
3. Why do I cry when others cry?
Many times, people who are considered ‘empaths’ feel the emotion of others. Dubbed “emotional contagion,” it occurs when you’re interacting with someone who is feeling something strong that in turn causes you to take on that same emotion, according to social psychologist Daniel Rempala, PhD.
4. How do people cry tears of joy?
The short answer is that crying intensifies life’s happiest moments. Our tears release neurotransmitters known as oxytocin, which are also known as a ‘feel good’ transmitter which simply makes you feel better and uplifts your spirit.
5. Is it healthy to cry?
It’s most definitely okay to shed tears of happiness or even tears of sadness. It may even be beneficial to you. If you feel the need to cry, don’t hold back your tears. Tears are a normal, healthy way to express emotion.
It’s Your Turn… Leave in the Comments Below when YOU last experienced the powerful emotion of ‘Tears of Happiness’?
