Tears Of Joy: The 4 Types According To Science

Tears of joy connect us with life, with people and with our most enriching emotions. Allowing ourselves these experiences and letting our eyes sparkle with the brilliance of these intense sensations is an act of well-being. We do not repress them, we do not hide the emotion that causes us to see something inspiring or that connects us with someone we love.

When was the last time you cried, carried away by a moment of happiness? If your memory needs to go back too far to remember that moment, you should consider making changes. Because tears of joy are the ecstasy of well-being, they are the essence of positive and enriching moments. Promoting those moments is a clear exercise in happiness.

Likewise, something that science reveals is that we can experience up to 4 types of crying related to positive emotions. Knowing and identifying them allows us to become aware of those sensations that we should all promote in order to enjoy our existence, the world and relationships much more.

The act of crying, a cathartic exercise

Why do we cry? If we asked this question to any person who we crossed on the street right now, they would tell us that “because we are sad or because this is how we vent our sorrows and internal suffering.” We identify and relate crying with that less kind part of life, with emotional pain and of course with physical pain.

However, there are our tears of joy and that twinkling glint in our eyes when something moves us intensely. The human being cries because it is part of who we are and on average we do it more out of happiness than out of grief.

Thus, studies such as those carried out by Dr. Oriana R. Aragón from Yale University indicate that the act of crying has no other purpose than to generate catharsis.

Tears intensify certain moments in life and act as natural pain relievers. It has been seen, for example, that enkephalin is released in both sadness and joy-motivated cries. This type of endorphin has the function of reducing pain and promoting a pleasant feeling of well-being.

Likewise, it is also worth noting another interesting theory about tears of joy: we release them because the brain does not always know the difference between sadness and happiness. For him, both dimensions are states of high intensity and therefore he activates the parasympathetic nervous system in order to relax us. It does this by releasing acetylcholine, a type of neurotransmitter that activates our tear ducts.

The different types of tears of joy

The truth is that research on this topic continues to grow in recent years. So much so that a new study conducted at Cornell University reveals that there are 4 types of tears of joy. That is, there are four situations that make us cry, driven by positive emotions . They are as follows.

Tears of affection

Love is the emotion that makes us vibrate and feel the most. It is very easy to experience that feeling in which suddenly a word, a gesture, a hug or a shared moment excites us enough to make us cry.

The same happens with tenderness, when we hold a baby, when our pet does something that seems very sweet and almost laughing we are surprised by letting a tear escape …

The thrill of triumph, the tears of overcoming

Win a game, a race, beat ourselves in a sporting event. Reach victory, pass an opposition, a specific exam, get a job after an interview …

Tears of joy can also arise in those situations in which, after a certain time of efforts, dreams and sacrifices, we achieve something. Surpassing ourselves also excites us intensely.

Inspiration, beauty, crying for what inspires and enthralls us

A sunrise at sea. The aerial views of a natural setting of breathtaking beauty. See our favorite pictorial work in person. Go to the theater and enjoy a play that ends up moving us unspeakably …

Go to a concert and enjoy that piece of music, with that singer or that group that we like so much. The tears of joy also feed on the aesthetic, the natural and the cultural.

Tears of joy in the moments of shared laughter

There are few pleasures more satisfying than crying with laughter, than letting laughter explode with all its sound, together with the people we love. Laugh until our stomach hurts … could there be something better?

Surely not, because authentic fun and those moments in which positive emotions flow combined with a sense of humor constitute true happiness.

It is worth reflecting on how long it has been since we have cried in any of these situations. Love, humor, inspiration, personal satisfaction… All these dimensions trace and establish the authentic psychological well-being. Promoting moments of this emotional tonic is in our power and it is worth experiencing them on a daily basis.