男女有泪可轻弹

说到飙泪，还要看丁满和彭彭这对好基友的功夫。原动画截图©

原文| Lana Burgess

乱译|中外物語

配图|原文或网络

今日主角|眼泪 tears

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Benefits of crying: Why it's good to shed a few tears

男女有泪可轻弹：流流泪，更健康

Crying is a natural response humans have to a range of emotions, including sadness, grief, joy, and frustration. But does crying have any health benefits? It is not unusual to cry, and both sexes cry more than people may assume. In the United States, women cry an average of 3.5 times per month and men cry an average of 1.9 times a month.

人是一种情感复杂的动物，七情六欲，悲从中来，喜极而泣，多是人之常情；哭一哭，流流泪，不是你怂，而是正常反应。但哭泣并不是掉几滴泪那么单纯（更何况有些人猫哭耗子，干哭不掉泪呢），其实适当流流泪对身体反而有益。哭泣并不代表软弱，男女有泪皆可轻弹。米国人玩出个“哭样”也是有理有据：在米国，女性月均哭泣3.5次，而男性则是1.9次（这个数据的精确性真是催泪，掉泪竟也可用小数点来计）。

Why do people cry?

人为啥会哭？——且不论科学，想想孟姜女、窦娥和杜十娘等人的遭遇，不哭算你狠！

Crying is a natural response to emotions or irritants like dust in the eyes. 原文配图 ©

Humans produce three types of tears:

· Basal: The tear ducts constantly secrete basal tears, which are a protein-rich antibacterial liquid that help to keep the eyes moist every time a person blinks.

·Reflex: These are tears triggered by irritants such as wind, smoke, or onions. They are released to flush out these irritants and protect the eye.

· Emotional: Humans shed tears in response to a range of emotions. These tears contain a higher level of stress hormones than other types of tears.

When people talk about crying, they are usually referring to emotional tears.

人类的眼泪可分三种：

· 基础眼泪：泪腺不断分泌基础眼泪，目的就是为了保持角膜湿润，清除代谢产物（想想那种干巴巴的死鱼眼，两窝子的代谢产物，若是没有足够的基础眼泪帮助清除，只好靠别人提醒揩拭，真是好不尴尬）；不要以为基础眼泪只是普通的“咸水”，其中可是富含抑菌蛋白呢！你有时候挤眉弄眼不是为了显示有多少“小聪明”，其实是靠眨眼来分泌基础眼泪，以保持眼角膜湿润。

· 反射眼泪：顾名思义，受到外力刺激流出的眼泪就叫“反射泪”。比如，风吹、烟熏或切洋葱时哭天抹泪就属于这一种；刺激眼睛的东西要钻入眼中，眼泪就会将其冲出。不得不说，眼睛有着很强的自我保护意识。

· 情感眼泪：也可以叫情绪性眼泪或哭泣性眼泪，我们通常说的“哭泣”就指这一种眼泪。那些泪水中富含应激激素——正所谓“男儿有泪不轻弹，只是未到伤心处”。

看到别人哭，通常都是因情感变化引起的真哭，那种干哭不掉泪的主儿，前世八成都是地主婆，不好意思明目张胆地幸灾乐祸，只好嘟囔着鼻子逗你玩儿。

Benefits of crying

适当哭一哭，反倒有好处。

People may try to suppress tears if they see them as a sign of weakness, but science suggests that doing so could mean missing out on a range of benefits. Researchers have found that crying:

[注：这段是跟原文大相径庭的一通乱绉]世上的“爱哭鬼”非女人莫属，可这也并非脆弱的表现，不受委屈时，女人多数像百灵鸟一样欢乐；她们哭，因为自认为委屈，有苦说不出。据说，女人哭泣的威力仅次于原子弹爆炸；对心态差如我者，女人眼泪的威力可能比原子弹爆炸还要猛烈。所以，招惹谁也别招惹爱哭的女人，给你来一出哭爹喊娘的折子戏，四邻八乡都会说你是个只会欺负女人的窝里横。可是你看看，这年头，哪个女人那么好欺负？！传说孟姜女哭倒了长城，窦娥在大夏天哭得老天爷下了大雪，杜十娘怒沉百宝箱，兴许都不是前人杜撰，女人哭起来动静之大，简直“触目惊心”！点儿背的老爷们儿招惹了一哭解千愁泄万恨的女人，只怕会被哭成一堆灰烬。还别说，科学怪咖研究表明，哭泣在某种程度上对人体反倒有益，并不像传统意义上理解的只有loser才喜欢滴几滴“老鼠尿”那么肤浅。不信你看，作者还列出这么几条益处：

1. Has a soothing effect

Self-soothing is when people:

· regulate their own emotions

· calm themselves

· reduce their own distress

A 2014 study found that crying may have a direct, self-soothing effect on people. The study explained how crying activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which helps people relax.

1. 抚慰之益

人在情绪低谷时，可通过哭泣自我抚慰（毕竟，懂你的人没几个）；哭一哭，更健康：

· 调节情绪

· 镇静自我

· 排解压力

2014年的一项研究发现，哭泣或是自我抚慰最直接有效的法子。至于原因，有点弯弯绕，结果绕到专业名词上去了；就算不绕，一般人根据解释也没法了解其中缘由。总归，练好“哭工”能够激活你的副交感神经系统（PNS），这就是理论依据。

2. Gets support from others

As well as helping people self-soothe, crying can help people get support from others around them. As this 2016 study explains, crying is primarily an attachment behavior, as it rallies support from the people around us. This is known as an interpersonal or social benefit.

2. 博得同情，获得帮助

如上所述，哭泣不但能自我抚慰，还能博得周围人的同情，获得他们的帮助。2016年的一项研究对这个说法给出了解释，哭泣从根本上来说是一种“依恋行为”（attachment behavior），能够激起周边人的同情，进而获得他们的帮扶。这就是所谓的人际或社群恩泽。

3. Helps to relieve pain

Research has found that in addition to being self-soothing, shedding emotional tears releases oxytocin and endorphins. These chemicals make people feel good and may also ease both physical and emotional pain. In this way, crying can help reduce pain and promote a sense of well-being.

3. 缓解疼痛

情感眼泪还能分泌出后叶催产素（oxytocin即后叶催产素，它能抑制一些人与他人交往过程中产生的焦虑情绪；后叶催产素能推动人们乐于参与社会活动；人体在分娩和哺乳等情况下会大量分泌后叶催产素，起到止痛或镇定的作用）和内啡肽（endorphins即内啡肽，也叫脑内啡或胺多酚，是一种脑下垂体分泌的类吗啡生物化学合成物激素，有镇痛功能），这些化学物质的产生能够缓解人们生理和心理上的疼痛。这就是哭泣可以缓解疼痛的理论依据。

4. Enhances mood

Crying may help lift people's spirits and make them feel better. As well as relieving pain, oxytocin and endorphins can help improve mood. This is why they are often known as "feel good" chemicals.

4. 重振精神

上面提到的后叶催产素和内啡肽除了具有缓解疼痛的功能，还能调节情绪，恢复精神。因此，哭泣后人会觉得精神放松了很多——鼻涕一把泪一把，尼玛，没啥大不了！毕竟，明天又是新的一天哈。后叶催产素和内啡肽被称作“感觉良好”的化学物质——这个含义可以从生理和心理两个方面去理解。

5. Releases toxins and relieves stress

When humans cry in response to stress, their tears contain a number of stress hormones and other chemicals. Researchers believe that crying could reduce the levels of these chemicals in the body, which could, in turn, reduce stress. More research is needed into this area, however, to confirm this.

5. 排毒解压

鸭梨山大，人就想哭。人因压力过大掉下的眼泪，其中含有应激激素（也叫压力荷尔蒙）和其他化学物质。研究人员解释说哭泣或能“稀释”这些化学物质，起到缓解压力的作用。但这一理论依据暂且不足，还需要进一步研究。

6. Aids sleep

A small study in 2015 found that crying can help babies sleep better. Whether crying has the same sleep-enhancing effect on adults is yet to be researched. However, it follows that the calming, mood-enhancing, and pain-relieving effects of crying above may help a person fall asleep more easily.

6. 有助睡眠

2015年的一个小研究发现，哭过的孩子睡得更香（相信很多人小时候有过这种经历吧，老妈拿着笤帚给你一通暴揍，狠哭一场，情绪复杂地躺倒在床上，结果发现睡得很香。朦胧中还听到大人们说：“好好听话不就完了，非要挨顿揍才睡觉，真是皮痒痒！三句好话不如打一扫帚！”）；但是大人哭过一场会不会睡得更香，砖家可是没研究出个结果来，还得接着研究。但是，哭泣一场对于镇定情绪、调节心情和缓解疼痛确有一定作用，当然对帮助睡眠或也有一定效果——一些人想事情想着想着就睡着了，另一些人当然是哭着哭着就睡着了。

7. Fights bacteria

Crying helps to kill bacteria and keep the eyes clean as tears contain a fluid called lysozyme. A 2011 study found that lysozyme had such powerful antimicrobial properties that it could even help to reduce risks presented by bioterror agents, such as anthrax.

7. 抗菌

掉泪可以杀菌、保持眼睛清洁，这是因为眼泪中含有一种物质叫溶菌酶（lysozyme也叫溶解酵素，是一种能水解致病菌中黏多糖的碱性酶）。2011年一项研究发现，溶菌酶有很强的抗菌功能，此外，还能分解诸如炭疽等急性传染病带来的危险生物病菌。

8. Improves vision

Basal tears, which are released every time a person blinks, help to keep the eyes moist and prevent mucous membranes from drying out. As the National Eye Institute explains, the lubricating effect of basal tears helps people to see more clearly. When the membranes dry out, vision can become blurry.

8. 改善视力（大概还有哭亮眼光的意思：过去瞎了眼，今后眼睁大）

眨眼时产生的基础眼泪，有助于保持眼睛湿润，阻止黏膜（mucous membranes）失去水分。据（米国）国家眼科协会专家的解释，基础眼泪起到“润滑”眼睛的作用；基础眼泪决定视力好坏。假如黏膜失去水分，眼睛干涩，那么视力就会变差，看啥都是模模糊糊。

When to see a doctor

哭得不对劲，需要看医生

Crying has a number of health benefits, but frequent crying may be a sign of depression. 原文配图 ©

Crying in response to emotions such as sadness, joy, or frustration is normal and has a number of health benefits. However, sometimes frequent crying can be a sign of depression. People may be depressed if their crying:

· happens very frequently

· happens for no apparent reason

· starts to affect daily activities

· becomes uncontrollable

Other signs of depression include:

· having trouble concentrating, remembering things, or making decisions

· feeling fatigued or without energy

· feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless

· feeling pessimistic or hopeless

· having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

· feeling irritable or restless

· not enjoying things that were once pleasurable

· overeating or undereating

· unexplained aches, pains, or cramps

· digestive problems that do not improve with treatment

· persistent anxiety

· suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm

If a person is experiencing symptoms of depression, or someone they know is, then they should talk to a doctor. Should a person feel suicidal, or know someone who is feeling that way, they should call emergency services.

见哭兴悲，愁肠百结，喜极而泣，等等，可以说都是人之常情，这时流下的是情感眼泪，有益无害。但是，有时架不住是受抑郁症困扰的可能，无缘无故哭天抹泪，那就得去看看医生。出现以下症状者，就该想想是不是得了抑郁症：

· 频发性流泪

· 无缘无故流泪

· 日常活动受到影响

· 变得不可控制

以上是常见症状，以下几种可能性可视为抑郁症前兆：

· 注意力无法集中，记忆力突然减退，关键时刻犹豫不决

· 总觉着身子疲乏或有气无力

· 变得悲观厌世或绝望无助

· 要么睡不着，要么睡不够

· 急躁易怒或焦躁不安

· 曾经的“最爱”突然变得索然无味，丝毫提不起兴致

· 要么饕餮不够，要么讨厌吃喝

· 无故的疼痛或痉挛

· 借助治疗无法缓解的消化问题

· 持续性的焦虑不安

· 有自杀或自残的想法

若自己或身边某人出现上述抑郁症症状，请赶快去看医生。实在不行，也可以给疾控中心去个电话。

Takeaway

Crying is a normal human response to a whole range of emotions that has a number of health and social benefits, including pain relief and self-soothing effects. However, if crying happens frequently, uncontrollably, or for no reason, it could be a sign of depression. If this is the case, it is a good idea to speak to a doctor.

温馨提示

人由情感变化引起的哭泣是正常反应，对改善健康和社交状态有利，某种程度上还有缓解疼痛和自我抚慰的功能。但是，频频想哭，哭起来控制不住，或无缘无故哭个没完没了，这大概是抑郁症的前兆。此时万万不可轻慢，赶紧寻医就诊才是正事。

这只是个开始。