Science and art of tears

It's one of those things I have wondered about in the past, so it's wonderful to see that someone has actually researched it, and the photos are amazing.

From PubMed: One of the endogenous pentapeptides with morphine-like activity.

"Emotional tears, for instance, have been found to contain protein-based hormones including the neurotransmitter leucine enkephalin, a natural painkiller that is released when the body is under stress."

I wonder if that's why crying can make you feel better. Because a natural painkiller is being produced somewhere?

Fascinating. Never crossed my mind there could be a different substance or pattern to a simple tear.

Thanks for the post Jess

Who knew crying could be so amazing.

I enjoyed this too, via Twitter originally [the twitterverse has its uses]

I like that, Jess. When she says "It’s as though each one of our tears carries a microcosm of the collective human experience, like one drop of an ocean" - that fits with many of the posts on the "what makes you emotional" thread.