How Crying Works

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode is a humorous, wide-ranging exploration of crying—its biology, possible evolutionary origins, cultural meanings, and gender differences. The hosts distinguish basal, reflex, and emotional tears, debate whether crying actually improves mood, and note that crying may serve social-bonding and signaling functions rather than simple catharsis. The transcript also includes promo content and listener mail.

Main Topics: Types and physiology of tears (Priority: 5/5): The hosts break down basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears, explaining that the lacrimal glands produce tears and that different tear types have different compositions and functions. Why humans cry emotionally (Priority: 5/5): They discuss theories for why emotional tears evolved, including an early cave-ancestor smoke/eye-tears hypothesis and a more plausible signaling model tied to sadness, vulnerability, and social bonding. Do tears make you feel better? (Priority: 5/5): The episode reviews studies suggesting mixed or inconclusive evidence that crying improves mood, with results influenced by consolation, helplessness, and laboratory settings. Gender, hormones, and crying frequency (Priority: 4/5): The hosts cover claims that men and women cry at similar rates before adolescence, then diverge after puberty due to testosterone, estrogen, and prolactin differences. Cry signaling in babies and adults (Priority: 4/5): Crying is framed as an adaptive infant signal for need and survival, while adult crying can still be manipulative, emotional, or socially communicative. Cultural attitudes toward crying (Priority: 3/5): The discussion notes that beliefs about crying vary by culture, using Japan’s crying clubs as an example of a society where crying is more openly supported. Promotions and listener mail (Priority: 2/5): The episode includes advertising for other podcasts, a live show announcement, and a listener story from Germany about using a Muppets article to help a child overcome fear.

Key Arguments: Humans likely cry emotionally not just from physiology, but as a social signal of sadness, vulnerability, and non-aggression. The idea that a good cry always improves mood is not strongly supported; outcomes depend on context, consolation, and whether the crying occurs in a realistic social environment. Tears differ chemically by type: reflex tears are mostly water, while emotional tears may contain stress- and mood-related substances such as prolactin and endorphins. Infant crying may have been favored by natural selection because it helps prevent abandonment and infanticide by eliciting caregiver attention and sympathy. Gender differences in crying may be influenced by hormonal shifts at puberty, with testosterone reducing crying and estrogen/prolactin associated with more frequent crying. Social norms matter: people may say men’s crying is awkward, but survey data suggest most individuals are not personally bothered by it. Crying may be less about flushing toxins and more about communication, bonding, and emotional regulation, though the exact biology remains uncertain.

Data Points: Basal tears per day: 5 to 10 ounces - Normal daily tear production that keeps eyes lubricated Types of tears: 3 - Basal tears, reflex tears, and emotional tears Onion tear composition: 98% water - Reflex tears collected from onion irritation compared with emotional tears Prolactin difference by sex: About 60% more in girls/women - Cited as a possible reason women cry more often Men’s and women’s crying frequency study: Women 64 times; men 17 times - Annual self-report study referenced by the hosts Mood-disorder sample size: 44 people - Study of people with mood disorders and crying behavior Postpartum depression prevalence: 9% to 16% - Women reported to suffer postpartum depression after birth Live show date: Monday, March 12, 5 to 9 - Stuff You Should Know variety show at Fado Irish Pub in Austin Live show date: Sunday, March 11, 3:30 to 4:30 - Stuff You Should Know live podcast at South by Southwest Listener’s classroom age: 6-year-old Annika - Child frightened by The Muppet Christmas Carol Listener location: Germany - Lori wrote in from Germany about helping students with a HowStuffWorks article

Pivotal Quotes: "It's alright to cry. Crying gets the fat out of you." — Intro music/segment: Opening nostalgic song used to frame the episode’s theme of crying "We can talk about whether crying makes you feel better, but the research is kind of insufficient." — Josh Clark: Summarizing the state of scientific evidence on emotional crying "Crying may be a way to release some of these buildup of toxins, but I think a good cry could help." — Charles W. Chuck Bryant: Debating the cathartic and physiological value of crying

Implications: The episode suggests crying is a complex social and biological behavior, not just a sign of weakness. For listeners, it reframes tears as communication, bonding, and possibly regulation, while for researchers it highlights how much remains unresolved.