Crying tears of joy is how the brain is able to return the body to equilibrium when experiencing extremes in emotion, a new study reveals. It is the same reason why some people are susceptible to nervous laughter or the feeling of wanting to pinch a cute baby's cheeks.
Researchers at Yale University led by psychologist Oriana Aragon, conducted a series of studies to tackle why some people cry when they are happy or other behaviors that seem contradictory to the emotions being expressed.
What they found in their initial study was that when negative reactions to positive emotions (such as crying at a wedding) are expressed, they help maintain balance in the body and help that person recover from intense emotions more quickly.
The same is true when positive reactions are used to deal with negative feelings, such as smiling when sad or faced with frightening situations.
"For now, we can say that it seems that people express in two ways when they feel one strong emotion. Understanding how we express emotion is helpful to clinicians who work with people every day who have difficulty with their expression and regulation of emotion," Aragon said.
Although not all people express these extremes in emotions, those who do, are more likely to get emotionally worked up, according to the findings of the researchers.
Aragon noted that this research is the just tip of the iceberg in understanding human emotions and also said that it is an important insight into emotional health. She added that knowing how people express and control how they feel directly relates to how they work together and the quality of their relationships.
The study, which is published in the journal Psychological Science support reports and observations by other psychologists that state 'happy crying' as a means to cope with intense emotions of joy, and that tears, in themselves, also help people feel more positive.
