Why do people cry out of happiness?

theincurableromantic said:
(Hope I posted this in the right section).
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Sure, this'll work.

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I wish I knew as well, also I sincerely envy those who have.

Ever watch the end of the Superbowl or an award ceremony? My eyes glow green for them.
 
I tend to cry more when I'm happy than when I'm sad. It's embarrassing, especially for a guy, but I'm coming to grips with it as I get older. I think a lot of NF types are turned around that way emotionally. Happiness has a way of completely overwhelming me.
 
Yes, I've had that happen a few times and it's wonderful. It's like a cleansing.
 
sumone said:
Yes, I've had that happen a few times and it's wonderful. It's like a cleansing.
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Cleansing in what sense?

G.Kai, I too thought it's because the happiness can be overwhelming.

My brother had an interesting answer, sort of an add-on to the overwehelming feelings. He said: I think if the happiness is related to something unexpected, rare, or if the opposite of whatever happened could have been very negative...
 
It's a pure spontaneous reaction and a great release of emotion.
When it's happened to me I get an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.
 
It's happened to me a few times. Usually out of relief...like you're letting go of your anxiety through the form of tears. Other times it's because of unexpected affirmation. When people say really nice (and unexpected) things about me, I tend to get emotional. Some find it endearing, but I find it embarrassing haha. Hmm to illustrate my point, on year 12 retreat/camp this year, all the students had to split into groups of 8 or so (we are a small school) and say something nice about each person in the group and explain why. When you have a group of people affirming you one after another, directly to your face, it's easy to get teary. And well, I did. Mostly because these girls were telling me things about myself that I didn't even know other people could see, and were affirming me for things I had insecurities and doubts about.
 
Emotion explosion from the inside :noidea:
 
sumone said:
It's a pure spontaneous reaction and a great release of emotion.
When it's happened to me I get an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.
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I can relate to the gratitude thing. Happiness experiences may not come every day, but when they do, I feel like the whole universe is in on it.
 
I frequently cry when I'm happy too. While I do tend to analyze just about everything, I couldn't tell you why it happens. I cry, or at least my eyes fill with tears at the surge of just about any strong emotion... happiness, sorrow, anger, etc. Others' tears can make me cry in empathy, too.

One of the best manifestations of this response, I feel, is laughing so hard you cry, which my mother and I used to do a great deal. It was wonderful.

I didn't overly vet this article, because I have to run and take my son to school in 5 mins, but I have previously read similar studies on the topic. While it doesn't seem to specifically go into tears of happiness, I'm sure the principle is the same:

ask scienceline | biology

Why do people cry?

By Emily V. Driscoll, posted October 23rd, 2006.



You’re watching the final scene in Thelma and Louise, and you’re on your third handkerchief. You turn your tear stained face to the side and look through blurred, saline-flooded vision at your cat, who is staring back at you witnessing the curious spectacle. Why is it that humans can be reduced to blubbering messes, while other members of the animal kingdom don’t seem to let out even a sniffle?


We have tear ducts to lubricate and protect our eyes from dust and other particles. The ducts are under the upper eyelids and produce a salty liquid–a tear-—-that gets spread throughout the eye after each blink. Animals too have the ability to produce tears, but not necessarily for the same reasons that we humans produce them.


Three types of tears are generated by the human eye. Basal tears protect the eye and keep it moist. Reflex tears flush out the eye when it becomes irritated. And emotional tears flow in response to sadness, distress, or physical pain.


Studies have shown that emotional tears contain more manganese, an element that affects temperament, and more prolactin, a hormone that regulates milk production. Sobbing out manganese and prolactin is thought to relieve tension by balancing the body’s stress levels and eliminating build ups of the chemicals, making the crier feel better.


But this minor physiological benefit aside, the most likely reason we produce emotional tears is because it’s a means of communication. Before babies can speak, they can cry. The only way for infants to express frustration, pain, fear, or need is to cry. Adults may use crying to bond with other humans. Expressing sadness can prompt comfort and support from peers. Different languages can provide barriers to spoken communication, but emotions are universal. There are also culturally acceptable reasons for crying that bring people together, such as at funerals or weddings.


Though there is a significant debate over whether animals have emotions and can express them, some animals do appear to cry for emotional reasons. Elephants seem to grieve when a family member dies and will guard the body and travel long distances to view it. Elephant experts at the London Zoo once told Charles Darwin that the animals do indeed mourn. Chimpanzees also appear to cry, but some scientists still insist that the tears released by these animals are strictly for cleaning the eye.


Whether or not animals shed tears for emotional reasons has yet to be scientifically proven. Humans, however, can and do dissolve into tears for any number of reasons. Cleansing the eye, relieving stress, conveying pain, communication, and societal assimilation can all lead to an empty tissue box. So weeping after that sappy movie might not mean that you are a total wuss after all. In fact, it may mean that you are behaving like a perfectly normal human being.



http://scienceline.org/2006/10/23/ask-driscoll-tears/
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Gosh, I cry when I'm happy, laughing, sad and sometimes for no apparent reason at all! When it's from happiness, though, I guess I feel overwhelmed by the beauty of the situation or of love. Heck, I even cry when I sing! It's just the capstone on a swell of emotion, which some come to easily, and others don't. It can be embarrassing - especially when others who don't cry often don't think it's warranted. As if it somehow degrades its value. But crying definitely isn't just for hardship, and not even just for expressing sadness. It's cleansing - at least to me.
 
Hmm. I'm guessing we're the great criers of the world. Oh well, somebody's gotta do it.

:Cry:
 
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You'd guess wrong. Which I imagine for you would be quite rare.
 
Strength of feeling will always set me off, whether it's positive or negative. It's a release of emotions too great for me to express through other means. If I'm happy when I cry, I think it has more to do with a previous hardship that has made a 180 in the right direction. For example, when inkling found her b/f I sobbed buckets. It was an incredible relief to know she had found someone who would treat her like an equal. It was also a form of cleansing for me, since this happiness managed to cancel out some of the unhappiness from my other siblings bad marriages.

It's bittersweet.
 
I think this (crying out of happiness) happens as a result of being touched by the beauty, happiness, gallantry, and such of others. In Buddhism, it is known as one of the 4 immeasurables, or "Sublime mind states" - It's called "Sympathetic Joy"

(Sympathetic as being in tune with and harmonizing with) - It is also deemed something that can be developed to counteract it's opposite enemy which would be jealousy or envy.

I'll post something more of the 4 immeasurables somewhere else.
 
mayflow said:
I think this (crying out of happiness) happens as a result of being touched by the beauty, happiness, gallantry, and such of others. In Buddhism, it is known as one of the 4 immeasurables, or "Sublime mind states" - It's called "Sympathetic Joy"

(Sympathetic as being in tune with and harmonizing with) - It is also deemed something that can be developed to counteract it's opposite enemy which would be jealousy or envy.

I'll post something more of the 4 immeasurables somewhere else.
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This is a beautiful force that you speak of that moves mountains. Your second point, the harmony of opposites, such as creative and destructive forces, is truly a balancing act. It's ultimately a divine dance, a sacred force. Let us know where you decided to post.
 
I don't think I've ever cried out of happiness. I've welled up completely happy, but never cried from it.
 
Shai Gar said:
I don't think I've ever cried out of happiness. I've welled up completely happy, but never cried from it.
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Since it can be hard for some men to cry to begin with I'd imagine that crying out of happiness is not something that necessarily comes naturally, but it is within the human realm of capabilities. I've seen it done.

When Obama won, I cried. My husband teared up and not because he's a Republican.

Pure, unadulterated happiness.
 
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I did a little jig on the spot and went back to looking at hydroponic setups at the nursery
 
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