William Shakespeare was spot on when he wrote: “To weep is to make less the dept of grief.” Researchers have found, not only do tears reduce tensions; they remove toxins, and increase the body’s ability to heal itself. So people who cry enjoy better health.

Life coach Anjie Camens says crying assists in the process of healing. “It helps to release pain which humans store in the physical body. If you can imagine a volcano waiting to explode, this is how the body feels when it is not allowed to express.”

Scientific studies have found that after crying, people feel better, both physically and physiologically, and they feel worse by suppressing their tears. Refusing to cry increases stress levels, and contributes to diseases aggravated by stress, such as high blood pressure, heart problems and peptic ulcers. In contrast, crying relieves stress, reduces hormone and chemical levels in the body, and helps us return to a calm state.

Biochemist William Frey has spent 15 years as the head of a research team at the Ramsey Medical Centre in Minnesota, studying tears. He discovered that stress-induced tears actually remove toxic substances from the body.

Frey suggested that the purpose of emotional crying may be to remove waste products from the body, similar to going to the toilet or sweating. The crazy thing is that people don’t realise they are taking in painful feelings and painful thoughts, let alone understand how to release them from their system.

As far back as 1957, it was known that emotional tears are chemically different from tears that result from eye irritation. Emotional tears contain more beta-endorphins, some of our bodies’ natural pain relievers, and protein. The simple act of crying also reduces the body’s manganese level, a mineral which affects mood and is found in up to 30 times greater concentration in tears than in blood serum.

Crying is perhaps the easiest and fastest way to release emotional pain, and Camens says it is starting to become more socially acceptable. “It’s much more commonly accepted to cry -previously it was seen as a weakness, especially for men.”

Gwyneth Paltrow was so tearful on national television that she could barely speak when awarded her Oscar for best actress, while President Clinton was an open sniffler during his time in office.

One of the main obstacles to good mental health is that by refusing to cry, a person must also hide or shut down valid feelings and emotions. Unless you let it move, sadness can clog you up, putting tension into your eyes, heart, stomach, and lungs. Crying is not the only way to release sadness, but it’s a darn good one. William Frey says, “Science has proven that stress is terrible for the health of your brain, heart and other organs”.

Studies on adults in psychotherapy have found lower blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature in patients immediately following therapy sessions during which they cried and raged. Anjie Camens agrees that there are many benefits of turning on the water works. “It releases pain and emotional memories, is a vital function in the grief process, allows the psyche to move forwards and clears the spirit.”

Alan Wolfelt, a professor at the University of Colorado Medical School, works primarily with people who are mourning loved ones. He says: “In my experience, I have observed changes in the physical expressions following the expression of tears. Not only do people feel better after crying, they also look better.”

Perhaps the best advice of all regarding tears comes from Charles Dickens. In Oliver Twist, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, is a less than sympathetic character. But he’s got the right idea when he declares that crying “opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens the temper”.

But just a word of warning about crying. People who cry easily should feel glad they’re in touch with their feelings, but if they’re crying a lot in response to criticism, they should try to get some counselling, as it could signify a deeper hurt.

Decades of research indicate that crying is a healing mechanism that allows people to cope with stress and trauma. Crying can be considered a natural repair kit with which every child is born. People of all ages cry because they need to, not because they are weak or immature.  So let the tears flow. Big girls, and boys, do cry.

FACT: chemical tears (caused by onions) are 98 percent water, emotional tears contain toxins.