The Surprising Science Behind Crying and Your Body
Despite the popular idea that shedding a few tears can help you shed pounds, the reality is far more complex and has little to do with the act of crying itself. While emotional tears do have a different chemical composition than tears from eye irritation, their direct impact on weight is minimal at best. The link between sadness and a drop on the scale is more accurately attributed to the profound physiological effects of emotional distress on the body. Understanding this connection is key to properly addressing both mental and physical health.
Debunking the Calorie-Burn Myth
Perhaps the biggest myth surrounding crying and weight loss is the idea that the act of sobbing burns a significant number of calories. The truth, however, is that crying expends very little energy. One study found that laughing burns about 1.3 calories per minute, and crying is often compared to this. To put this in perspective, an hour-long crying session would only burn about 78 calories—an amount easily negated by a single cookie. You'd have to cry for hours on end, every day, to make a dent in your weight, and even then, the impact would be minuscule. Weight loss is fundamentally about creating a sustainable calorie deficit, something that cannot be achieved through emotional displays alone. For more information on the science behind crying, you can visit Healthline's article on the subject.
The Real Connection: Stress and Appetite
So, if the calories from crying are insignificant, why do some people notice weight loss during stressful or emotionally draining periods? The primary culprit is the body's stress response, mediated by hormones. During times of high emotional distress, such as grief or depression, the body releases a flood of stress hormones, including cortisol. While emotional crying can help regulate cortisol levels over time, intense, prolonged stress can have a profound impact on appetite and metabolism.
For many, this stress response triggers a decrease in appetite. The feeling of being overwhelmed, anxious, or sad can make food unappealing, leading to a natural reduction in caloric intake. The simple truth is that if you eat fewer calories than your body burns, you will lose weight, and emotional distress can involuntarily create this deficit by suppressing your desire to eat. Furthermore, chronic stress has been shown to potentially impact metabolism, though sometimes in ways that can lead to weight gain for some people.
The Hormonal Link
Emotional tears are not just salty water. They are known as 'psychic tears' and contain different hormones and proteins than basal or reflex tears. Specifically, emotional tears contain hormones like adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and prolactin, as well as the opioid-like pain reliever, leu-enkephalin. The release of these stress-related chemicals through tears is a detoxifying process that can help the body regulate and return to a calmer state. While this process is beneficial for emotional wellbeing and stress reduction, it is not a weight loss mechanism. Reducing stress can indirectly support weight management by preventing stress-induced weight gain, but it doesn't cause weight loss directly.
The Three Types of Tears and Their Role
Your body produces tears for different reasons, and understanding these distinctions sheds light on the biochemistry at play during emotional crying. While all tears contain water, enzymes, and electrolytes, their composition and purpose vary significantly.
- Basal Tears: These are your everyday, functional tears. They are constantly produced to keep your eyes moist, clean, and protected from debris and infection. They contain proteins and enzymes that act as a natural antiseptic.
- Reflex Tears: Triggered by irritants like smoke, onions, or foreign particles, these tears flush out harmful substances to protect the eye. They are more watery and contain a higher concentration of protective compounds to fight off potential infections.
- Emotional (Psychic) Tears: These are the tears shed in response to strong emotions like sadness, happiness, or pain. As mentioned, they contain higher levels of stress hormones and other mood-regulating chemicals as a natural excretory function to help calm the body.
Myth vs. Reality: A Comparison Table
| Feature | The Myth: Crying for Weight Loss | The Reality: Crying & Weight Change |
|---|---|---|
| Calorie Burn | Crying burns significant calories, leading to weight loss. | Crying burns a negligible number of calories, with no real impact on weight. |
| Mechanism | The physical act of crying directly burns fat. | Weight change is an indirect side effect of emotional distress, primarily due to appetite changes. |
| Hormonal Role | Shedding stress hormones in tears leads to fat loss. | Releasing stress hormones (like cortisol) through crying can reduce overall stress, but chronic stress can inhibit weight loss or cause gain. |
| Result | You can cry your way to your target weight. | The physiological effects of emotional distress, not crying, are responsible for any perceived weight loss. |
| Long-Term Efficacy | Frequent crying is a viable weight loss strategy. | Crying is not a sustainable or healthy weight management method. |
What to Do If You're Experiencing Unintentional Weight Loss
If you find yourself losing weight during a period of frequent crying, it is important to look beyond the tears. The weight loss is a symptom, not a consequence, of the underlying emotional issue. Excessive, prolonged crying accompanied by appetite changes is often a sign of more serious mental health concerns like grief or depression. Instead of viewing the weight loss as a silver lining, it should be seen as an indicator that you need to address your emotional state. Seeking support from a healthcare professional, therapist, or counselor is a crucial step towards both mental and physical wellness. Dealing with the root cause of the emotional distress is the healthy and effective way to manage both your mood and your weight in the long term.
Conclusion
While the concept of crying off unwanted weight might be an appealing one, the science simply doesn't support it. The calories burned during a good cry are insignificant. Any perceived weight loss is an indirect consequence of emotional distress, which can suppress appetite and affect your body's hormonal balance. Emotional tears do contain stress hormones, and the act of crying can be cathartic and beneficial for emotional regulation, but it is not a fat-burning activity. If you're experiencing unintended weight loss alongside persistent sadness, it is a sign to seek professional help for your mental health. Real, sustainable weight management comes from a balanced diet and exercise, not from tears.
