What is the biological advantage of expressing sadness by leaking liquid from the eye sockets (crying) and why do some animals also do that?
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Crying isn’t just expressing sadness, although that’s definitely part of it. It’s a response to stress that releases specific chemicals and actually serves to calm the person/animal down.
Visibly showing sadness or distress can be helpful to social animals though. It lets others know that individual needs help or support in some way. It would really surprise me to hear of any solitary animals that also do it.
Also, I’ve read before that it’s a visual sign of distress, so as to not alert predators that could take advantage of you not being at 100%.
Your social group sees that you need attention without making loud sounds.
Women’s tears have a smell than tends to turn off male arousal and sometimes work as a calming agent
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-12138280
Crying signals vulnerability and a need for social support. Women, being more social creatures, tend to do it more frequently and socially. Presumably, men rarely cry socially because it’s been evolutionarily disadvantageous for this group to signal vulnerability.
This phenomenon where people wiggle their limbs around nonsensically (dancing), I do not understand.
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