I got into a tight spot last week with several female friends after my heartfelt plea to my fellow men that crying makes them weak. Apparently, there are several health benefits of crying I failed to mention in that piece.
I tried to make the point that I was mostly bothered about what makes us men: breadwinners; leaders.
My accusers would have none of that. For them, it all boiled down to how a good piece must be balanced when discussing an issue. So I must also mention the benefits of crying to both male and females.
According to them, my write up about tears could mislead some people, especially women who want to seen as strong as men, that crying should be restricted to just babies, who cry on a whim. Mostly because that is how they know how to communicate best.
Okay, I am sure there must be a reason nature gave us tears. That is, a part from the fact that women and kids seemed to have patented it as their main weapons in getting their way.
I was really amazed after cursory research to find out there are several health and psychological benefits of crying.
Here are some of them. I hope it would satisfy those who felt a bit hard done by my previous piece on why men shouldn’t cry.
Crying cleanses the body of toxins
According to studies carried out, tears produced from crying aids the body to get rid of chemicals that help the production of cortisol.
Cortisol is bad in the sense that its presence in the body causes unnecessary stress or tension in the system leading to health issues like high blood pressure.
In addition to that, other chemicals and hormones responsible for elevated levels of pains are removed through tears when we cry.
Crying kills ocular bacteria
University science students take it for granted that all parts of the body contain bacteria. For the eyes, the main strategy of eliminating bacteria is through tears.
Tears contain a chemical known as lysozyme. It is so effective it can kill harmful bacteria in the eyes in 10 minutes or less.
Lysozyme does this by destroying the protective covering of bacteria. Almost like removing the whole skin from a human being. The effect is always devastating to bacteria.
Clears vision
This is one of the most obvious benefits of crying.
Just yesterday, I tried to will tears to my eyes. I accidentally splashed petrol in one of my eyes. I knew the tears would help flush the fuel out. I was not successful in bringing out tears though.
I had to use water to bathe the eye before I could see without those stinging pains.
Tears though, if you can summon them on demand, clear our vision by lubricating the eyes and making them look more beautiful. Just like applying engine oil to machines makes them run smoothly and improves performance.
Tears are mood changers
Again, social scientists in different studies have shown that tears can make us feel better easily and more effectively than the many expensive anti-depressants in the market.
According to the study, on the average, people who cry end up feeling a whole lot better than people who don’t.
On the flip side though, and in the interest of a balanced write up, a tiny percentage of people in the study say crying makes them feel worse.
However, the consensus is that if you are not prone to anxiety or mood disorders, crying would actually make you feel better.
I know a lot of ladies would nod their pretty heads vigorously in agreement.
Crying is a stress reliever
I guess being a stress reliever is a consequence of being able to improve moods and eliminate bad toxins.
So when you are frustrated and feel like doing something silly, instead of punching the wall or lashing out violently at the nearest object or person, go find a corner and cry.
For the dudes though, my advice is simple, find a room and cry your eyes out if you have to do it. There is no point making a public spectacle of yourself.
This is one of the benefits of crying I have experienced. Though you’d really have to put a gun to my head before I confess I actually cried when I thought my girl was going to break up with me.
In hindsight, it was a waste of good tears.
For communication
Okay, this is one of the benefits of crying I would strongly advice people to let women and kids have a monopoly on. Let it be exclusive to them.
Crying would sometimes pass on messages that words cannot. This happens frequently in relationship when the man is being thick-headed. Frustration at the lack of understanding from the man can lead to tears from the lady.
Tears would pass on a message that the issue at stake is very very serious and important to her. We men tend to be helpless in the face of a woman’s tears.
Our default response is to do anything to make sure our love stopped crying.
Smart women know this and use it effectively from time to time.
Kids too use the same tactics. But it is better to nip that habit in them before they grow into manipulative children.
Generally, these are the benefits of crying. Perhaps, if you know of some more that I omitted, feel free to tell us about them in the comments section below.
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Cheers.
