What you feel after a good cry has a real scientific explanation

Have you ever noticed that after you’ve cried your heart out—into a pillow, in the shower, or just quietly in the dark—something inside suddenly feels lighter? It is a distinct physical sensation, like someone just took a heavy backpack off your chest. While most people refer to this phenomenon as an “emotional reset,” it turns out there is very concrete biochemistry and psychology behind it.

Three completely different kinds of tears — and only one of them heals

Your eyes are more complex than you might think; they produce three totally distinct types of tears, each with a specific biological function:

• Basal tears: The constant moisturizing film on your cornea that protects your eyes from drying out.
• Reflex tears: The ones that rush in immediately when you chop onions, get dust in your eye, or walk into smoke.
• Emotional tears: The ones that fall when something hurts, scares, or moves you deeply.

Here is the scientific twist: only emotional tears contain high levels of stress hormones and neuropeptides. Back in the 1980s, biochemist Dr. William H. Frey II from the Tear Research Center in Minnesota ran one of the first serious studies on this distinction. He discovered that emotional tears have significantly higher concentrations of cortisol, prolactin, and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) than reflex tears do. In other words, when you cry because of feelings, you are literally flushing stress chemicals out of your body. This suggests that crying is an excretory process, much like exhaling or sweating, designed to remove waste products generated by emotional distress.

Why you feel calmer afterward: the parasympathetic brake

When we are stressed, the sympathetic nervous system kicks in—this is the famous “fight or flight” mode. Your heart races, your breathing becomes shallow, and your palms might sweat. Crying flips the biological switch. A 2014 study from Tilburg University in the Netherlands (led by researcher Ad Vingerhoets) demonstrated that 20–30 minutes after the tears start flowing, most people experience a sharp increase in parasympathetic nervous system activity.

The parasympathetic system is the part of your autonomy responsible for “rest and recovery.” As this system activates, your heart rate drops, your breathing evens out, and that familiar “okay, it’s over” feeling finally arrives. Interestingly, this works even if you are crying “for no reason”—perhaps just from accumulated fatigue. Your body is smarter than your conscious mind and knows exactly when it needs to dump the emotional load to return to a state of balance.

Oxytocin and endorphins: the hidden bonuses

There is another physiological perk to letting it all out. During emotional crying, the hypothalamus releases oxytocin and endorphins. These are the same chemicals your brain releases when you receive a long hug or laugh until your stomach hurts. They act as the body’s natural painkillers and tranquilizers.

This biochemical release explains why, after a good cry, you often feel not only relief but a warm, almost cozy wave of exhaustion. You can thank your endorphins for that sense of numbness and peace; they are there to soothe the pain that caused the tears in the first place.

But why are so many people ashamed to cry?

Culture plays a significant role here. In many societies—and specifically for men, though women feel this pressure too—tears are still frequently labeled as a sign of weakness or instability. Yet, psychological research consistently shows that people who allow themselves to cry during grief or intense moments often process trauma faster than those who do not.

Studies suggest that suppressing tears increases the risk of psychosomatic illnesses. When you hold back the urge to cry, you are essentially trapping stress hormones inside the body. Over time, this repression can manifest physically, contributing to issues ranging from high blood pressure to stomach ulcers and tension headaches.

When crying doesn’t help — and can even hurt

There are valid exceptions to the rule. If you find yourself crying for hours every single day, that is no longer catharsis; it is a possible symptom of depression or an anxiety disorder, and it is time to reach out to a professional. The same applies if your tears only come accompanied by blind rage and leave you feeling emptier or more agitated than before—that can signal repressed aggression rather than grief, which requires a different therapeutic approach.

What to do if you “can’t cry”

Some people physically cannot produce emotional tears. In psychology, this is sometimes linked to an alexithymic trait (difficulty identifying feelings) or can simply be a nervous-system quirk or a side effect of certain medications. If that is you, don’t worry: you can get a similar “detox effect” through other physical releases. Intense exercise (sweating removes cortisol too), slow diaphragmatic breathing, or even screaming into a pillow can help complete the stress cycle.

The bottom line: a test you can try yourself

Next time you feel that heavy lump forming in your throat—don’t fight it. Give yourself five minutes of “tear therapy.” Your body has been perfecting this mechanism for thousands of years specifically so you can survive the hardest moments and stay healthy. Tears aren’t weakness. They are a built-in, free, no-prescription anti-stress valve that nature gave us.

Key studies:

• Frey, W. H. (1985). Crying: The Mystery of Tears. (The foundational text on the biochemistry of tears).
• Gračanin, A., Vingerhoets, A. J., & Bylsma, L. M. (2014). Crying benefits: A review. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. (Analysis of the self-soothing effects).
• Vingerhoets, A. J. (2013). Why Only Humans Weep: Unravelling the Mysteries of Tears. (A comprehensive look at the evolutionary reasons for crying).

Cry freely. Your brain will thank you.