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Asked by chemicalexplosion3 to Anna, Chris, Jane, Iain, Nick on 14 Mar 2014.
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Anna Middleton answered on 14 Mar 2014:
Hi chemicalexplosion3
Crying is a release mechanism that we naturally do in response to stress. So, if we get a surge of hormones like adrenalin and cortisol when we are frightened or really shocked by something then after this the crying releases these. Crying is a very important function and even though it might seem soft it is really useful for making us feel better and we shouldn’t be ashamed of doing it.
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Iain Moal answered on 14 Mar 2014:
There are two ways to approach this question. The first is the physiological approach; certain things upset us, which causes a biological respose, which causes us to cry. This way, we can answer chemically in terms hormones and neurons.
The other approach is the functional approach. We can accept that crying is a biochemical response, but then ask why we have evolved to have this response to things that upset us. Framed this way, I believe that crying is a form of communication. When my baby boy cries, it is usually because he is hungry or needs his nappy changing, and I can tell by the way that he cries just how upset or desperate he is. Even though he can’t talk, he can tell us that he needs something. Other non-human primates can cry too, and for the same reasons. This leads me to believe that crying is a primitive form of communication that predates language.
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