Crying for No Reason: Why It Happens & What It Means

Crying for no reason and wondering why? It’s more common than you think. Watch the video below, featuring Mitsu’s lead clinical psychologist, to understand more about the mind-body connection that makes you cry for no reason.

Transcript below.

Hi, I’m Raksha. I’m a clinical psychologist, and I’m going to be explaining the seemingly mysterious phenomenon of crying for no reason.

We’ll delve into the possible scientific explanations behind this emotional expression and what it could indicate about mental health.

Is crying for no reason possible?

No – and hear me out. We may not know the reason why we are crying and that’s perfectly normal and very common, but there is always a reason we are crying.

Humans cry for two reasons, reflex and emotions. Reflex tears lubricate the eye. They let us give people the side-eye, roll our eyes at them, and wash out invisible allergens, like dust, that we might not realize are irritating our eyes.

Emotional tears, however, are only shed in response to, well, emotions. Whether it’s anger, sadness or joy, it doesn’t matter. They all can cause tears. The cool thing is, the chemical composition of these tears are different from reflex tears, which suggests that crying always has an emotional reason when it’s not reflexive.

Emotional crying likely evolved as a unique response to the benefit of our body and mind. Emotions are complex. It’s possible that the emotional instinctual center of the brain has identified and processed our emotions and prompted a physical response before we are even aware of what’s happening. Crying for no reason can be a way for our body and mind to release the stress of these emotions that we are seemingly unaware of.

The act of shedding tears triggers our bodies to release endorphins. These are the natural ‘feel good’ chemicals produced by our body itself, and they provide us with a sense of relief.

So, crying for no reason is OK and normal?

Well, I wouldn’t go that far. While occasional unexplained tears are a normal part of human experience, if you find yourself regularly crying for no reason, or you have a particularly intense spout of tears without knowing why, it may warrant attention. It could be a symptom of underlying emotional distress, experiencing bad memories, or struggles with trauma, anxiety or depression.

But whether you know your reason for crying, please don’t try to hold your tears back. Tears can be a healthy outlet for emotions that might be challenging to express verbally. Crying allows us to release these pent-up feelings, promoting emotional well being.

So, while you should still consider taking mental health care, let the tears flow. You might not know the reason you’re crying, but you are crying for a reason.

Raksha Rajesh (M.Sc., M.Phil., CRR No. A80195) is the clinical team lead at Mitsu.care. She is a clinical psychologist licensed by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) with 6+ years of experience in helping people from diverse backgrounds build skills to understand and manage their emotions.