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Crying is often associated with emotions like anger, frustration, or sadness.

When you think of happiness, you almost certainly don’t think of tears.

But have you ever heard of the term ‘happy tears’?

happy tears

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You might have even experienced it!

If you are curious about why exactly it occurs, read on.

Over the decades, scientists and researchers have devised theories to explain why happy crying occurs.

You have repressed feelings

An early theory suggested that this happened as a result ofrepressedfeelings.

This meant that people who cried when experiencing something joyous had underlying feelings of sadness they hadn’t addressed.

Crying may regulate your body

Tears contain enzymes, lipids, electrolytes, and metabolites.

But emotional tears might also include other proteins and hormones.

Stress hormones may help calm you and regulate your mood.

When we cry, we signal to others to empathize with us.

This happens when we cry because of a happy or sad event.

Scientists believe that crying is a way of establishing a social connection with other people.

While you might not always allow your tears free fall, you often feel them coming on.

Some research suggests that this is because crying can help you manage strong emotions.

When you cry, it feels like you are expelling some of these emotions.

Crying helps you release some of this emotion.

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