The chemistry of tears
The eyes produce different tears. There are three types:
- Permanent or basal tears. Created to keep eyes moist. With each blink, the eyelids tears washed up everywhere on the eyes.
- Reflex tears. Created in response to irritation or the presence of a foreign body.
- Emotional tears. They are produced as a result of different emotions – sadness, pain, happiness, anger, frustration etc..
Scientists have analyzed the composition of different tears have reached the conclusion that emotional tears have a different composition than tears caused by irritation or lubrication. Emotional tears contain enzymes, immunoglobulins and proteins which are not found in other types of tears.
There is a theory that crying is a way to release the toxins that create the stress hormones, so it is considered beneficial to health.
