Tears of Joy
As they say, April showers bring May flowers. Spring is the time for new beginnings, transformations, and fresh starts. After a long, dark and cold winter, even the smallest things make me happy. Like seeing the first robin, a gaggle of geese migrating back, a small patch of green grass, and the trees and flowers blooming.
Lately, I’ve been trying to be more aware of joy each day. I’ve been tracking my joy and have also been starting each day with gratitude. What I’ve noticed is when I’m truly in the moment and feeling the emotion of joy, I will also sometimes experience tears. But why? Why do we sometimes cry when we are happy? It seems so counterintuitive.
Have you ever laughed so hard you cried? Were you ever so proud you couldn’t hold back a tear? Do you cry at weddings? Tears of joy are a way for our body to express and release intense emotions. When we experience strong emotions, our body releases chemicals such as oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins, which can induce tears. These chemicals can trigger the tear glands in our eyes to produce tears, even when we are not necessarily sad.
Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions describes the eight core emotions and their opposite emotions in a circular diagram. Sadness is the opposite emotion of joy. So while experiencing joy, it is also common to experience some characteristics of the opposite emotion, in this case tears.
How emotions are expressed can vary greatly between individuals based on a variety of factors like past experiences, personality, and culture. Crying in response to intense emotions is a natural human response and can be a way to release tension and stress. After “happy tears”, individuals can feel much better.
So embrace your emotions and don’t be afraid to shed a tear. It is a signal to others that you are empathetic and care deeply about what’s happening.
