When we cry, what do our tears look like microscopically and do they look different every time? Watch to find out!
Transcript: We can cry because we’re happy. We can cry because we’re sad. We can cry because we’re cutting onions. We can cry just because we need to cry. They’re all completely different emotions… but are they different tears? Well, Rose-Lynn Fisher, a photographer, wondered and she decided to study 100 different tears under a microscope. She found that basal tears (the ones that our body produces to lubricate our eyes) PHOTO are drastically different from the reflex tears that happen when we are chopping onions PHOTO. The psychic tears from extreme emotions like those tears come about from hard laughter PHOTO aren’t even close to the tears of sorrow PHOTO. Each tiny tear drop carries a microcosm of human experience. Why do different types of tears look different? Tears of happiness and tears of sadness contain biological substances in varying degrees. These include oils, antibodies, and enzymes. For example, tears of sadness would have more Leucine Encephalin, a natural painkiller that the body releases when it’s under stress. While, psychic tears have more protein-based hormones. Dried tears are largely crystallized salt. The circumstances under which the tear dries can lead to radically dissimilar shapes and formations. Many other factors like chemistry, viscosity, and rate of evaporation, etc. may also influence their form. Like snowflakes and fingerprints, no tears are alike.
