As part of its February 2014 Monitor on Psychology, the American Psychological Association (APA) published a feature titled “Why we cry.” The article examines recent research that helps answer what human tears mean through psychological, social and neuroscientific perspectives.
Psychology Professor Robert Provine is quoted in the article when the author references a study he conducted with other UMBC researchers. “Tears add valence and nuance to the perception of faces,” Provine says. He also notes tears are a type of social lubricant and help people communicate.
Provine is also quoted in the article when the author analyzes recent insights by psychologists into people who can’t produce tears. “Ophthalmologists have typically treated ‘dry eye’ as a medical issue, completely missing the fact that emotional communication is impaired when you lack tears,” says Provine. “They have not attended to important psychological and social consequences.”
You can read the full article in the APA Monitor here.
Tags: CAHSS, Psychology, Research
