Most
people say they feel better after a good cry, and tears of joy, sadness, or
relief may be a very healthy outlet for stress.
Tears of joy, for example, relieve the intense emotions generated by
happy occasions. But shedding emotional tears also seems to alleviate stress in
a more subtle manner.
University
of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears
have isolated two important chemicals,
leucine-enkephalin and prolactin,
in emotionally shed tears. The
researchers say that leucine-enkephalin may
be an endorphin, one of the natural pain relievers released by the brain in
response to stress. William Frey, Ph.D., a biochemist and the leader of the
research team, suspects that tears cleanse the body of substances that accumulate
under stress. In other words, crying seems to be an appropriate way to respond
to stress.
Conversely,
to resist crying, may be harmful to your health. It’s possible that men develop more
stress-related illness because they don’t cry as freely as women do.
So if you
feel like crying, let the tears flow.
Used with permission from A Year of Health Hints by Don R Powell, PHD and the American
Institute for Preventive Medicine, copyright 2010. www.healthylife.com
