Tears are a natural response to strong emotions, pain, and irritation. The average person cries between 30 to 60 times per year. Women tend to cry more frequently than men – 64 times versus 17 times per year on average. However, large individual differences exist. Some people cry every day, while others go years without shedding a tear. This article explores how many tears humans can produce, what factors influence crying frequency, and the potential benefits of emotional tears.
How tears are produced
Tears serve to lubricate and protect the eyes. There are three types of tears:
- Basal tears – Produced continuously to keep the eyes moist.
- Reflex tears – Secreted when the eyes are irritated by stimuli like wind or dust.
- Emotional tears – Released in response to strong feelings or pain.
Tears originate in the lacrimal glands above the outer corners of the upper eyelids. Tiny lacrimal ducts carry tears from the lacrimal glands down to the eyelid margins. From here, tears drain through small openings at the inner corners of the eyelids into the lacrimal drainage system and nose.
On average, each human eye contains about 1 to 1.2 fluid ounces (30 to 35 ml) of tears at a time. Tears are continuously produced and drained. The total volume of tears secreted each day is estimated at 0.8 to 1.2 fluid ounces (25 to 35 ml) per eye.
Factors influencing crying frequency
Many factors can influence crying frequency between individuals:
Age and gender
Studies find that women cry two to five times more often than men. Possible reasons include hormonal differences and social conditioning. Crying peaks during the teens and 20s, then declines with age for both genders.
Personality traits
People who score high in neuroticism or self-reported emotionality tend to cry more often. Those high in traits like toughness, stability, and restraint tend to cry less frequently.
Mental health
Mood disorders like depression are associated with more frequent crying spells. Crying may also increase during times of intense grief, stress, or anxiety.
Physical health
Poor physical health, chronic pain, and lack of sleep are linked to increased crying episodes. Tear production tends to decrease with age due to factors like medication use and medical conditions affecting lacrimal gland functioning.
Social and cultural norms
Cultural views on crying vary significantly. In some cultures, crying is seen as weakness, especially for men. In others, it is more socially acceptable to express emotions openly through tears. Families also model crying behavior.
Media exposure
Watching emotional movies and television may stimulate crying. Sad music is another trigger. People who consume more of this media tend to report more frequent crying.
How many tears can the average person produce?
It’s challenging to quantify precisely how many tears individuals can produce in a given time frame. Tear volume and crying frequency show huge variability based on the factors above. However, some estimates indicate:
- The average woman cries 3.5 times per month, or 64 times per year.
- The average man cries 1.4 times per month, or 17 times per year.
- Each crying episode may last an average of 6 minutes.
- During this time, 0.2 to 0.4 fluid ounces (5 to 10 ml) of tears might be secreted.
Based on these conservative estimates:
| Gender | Average Crying Frequency | Tears per Episode | Total Tears Per Year |
| Women | 64 times | 0.3 oz | 19.2 oz or 592 ml |
| Men | 17 times | 0.3 oz | 5.1 oz or 156 ml |
So in a given year, a woman may cry 64 times and produce around 19 ounces of tears. A man may cry 17 times and produce around 5 ounces. But again, huge individual differences exist.
World’s biggest cry babies
Some individuals report far more prolific crying than average:
- Chuck Lorre, television writer and producer, reports crying “12 times a day.” At 6 minutes per episode, he may cry up to 72 minutes or 1.2 hours daily.
- Speaker and author Deepak Chopra says he sometimes cries for an hour or more at a time when emotionally moved.
- Olympic gold medalist Eva Rivas cries up to five times per day – as much as 30 minutes per episode.
- Singer Adele admits to crying 20 times per day following a break-up. That’s up to 120 minutes of crying daily.
At the extremes, some people may cry multiple times per day lasting up to 2 hours. This means serial criers could potentially produce over 1 liter of tears per week.
Benefits of crying
Many biologists believe emotional crying serves an adaptive purpose. Benefits of shedding emotional tears may include:
Stress relief
Crying releases built-up tension and emotions. The act may help transition from sadness to calmness. Stress hormones like cortisol are reduced following crying episodes.
Mood enhancement
Studies reveal that crying brings transient mood improvements, perhaps by discharging negative feelings. People report feeling more relaxed and resolved after crying.
Social bonding
Tears communicate sadness to others. Crying elicits social support and connections. Tears may strengthen relationships between individuals.
Physical cleansing
Along with water and electrolytes, emotional tears contain stress hormones and other chemicals. Crying may remove these potentially harmful substances from the body.
Overall, researchers believe crying brings multiple benefits, both emotional and physical. While no consensus exists on optimal crying frequency, most experts say that emotionally purging tears are healthy in moderation.
Conclusion
In summary, the average woman cries 64 times per year compared to 17 times for the average man. However, estimates vary widely. Some people cry multiple times per day, while others go years without tears. Many factors influence crying frequency like gender, age, health, personality, and culture. Research suggests emotional crying provides benefits like mood enhancement, stress relief, and strengthened social bonds. But obsessive crying may also signal mental health conditions requiring treatment. Overall, crying a moderate amount in response to genuine feelings appears healthy for both mind and body.