Crying
Crying encompasses two very different processes: vocal wailing and tearing. Human babies excel at the former, and for good reason – bawling is a very effective way of getting attention from caregivers. Around adolescence, we begin to cry less over physical pain and more over emotional pain. Many people also start to exhibit “moral crying”, in reaction to acts of bravery, self-sacrifice and altruism. Why we do this is still a mystery. Also mysterious is why, as we age, we increasingly shed tears over things that are positive. One theory is that tears of joy do not actually reflect happiness at all; events such as weddings and holidays are often bittersweet because they remind us of the passage of time and mortality. This may be why children usually do not cry out of happiness: they don’t yet make the associations with sacrifice, loss and impermanence.