Why do humans cry?
I'm not looking for the how of it (tear ducts, etc.) or even the immediate reasons preceding it. (e.g. I just broke up with my girlfriend, my father died, I'm not allowed to play video games after nine, etc.)
Rather, I'm wondering what sort of evolutionary advantage(s) could be conveyed through crying?
On a related note, do other animals "cry"? Even from pain? If so, is it common amongst many species or only a few? If we believe animals do in fact cry (in the human sense), how do we distinguish anthropomorphism from "true" crying?
I suppose that an attempt could be made to explain it all as "learned" behavior brought about by behavioral influences, but that premise would tend to make one wonder if crying is universal throughout all human cultures. I mean, is there some tribe from Whacka-Whacka that has no experience whatsoever with the whole concept?
As another illustration, I personally believe the perceived tendency (at least amongst western cultures) for women to "cry" more often then men is a social construct, although I'm not entirely ruling out a genetic component here, either. Does anyone have any insight on this aspect?
Regardless of whether this phenomenon is limited to humans, subsets thereof, or is spread across a variety of species, my main interest lies in the potential natural selection of this behavior through genetic means, and if so, why?
Any thoughts?
I'm not looking for the how of it (tear ducts, etc.) or even the immediate reasons preceding it. (e.g. I just broke up with my girlfriend, my father died, I'm not allowed to play video games after nine, etc.)
Rather, I'm wondering what sort of evolutionary advantage(s) could be conveyed through crying?
On a related note, do other animals "cry"? Even from pain? If so, is it common amongst many species or only a few? If we believe animals do in fact cry (in the human sense), how do we distinguish anthropomorphism from "true" crying?
I suppose that an attempt could be made to explain it all as "learned" behavior brought about by behavioral influences, but that premise would tend to make one wonder if crying is universal throughout all human cultures. I mean, is there some tribe from Whacka-Whacka that has no experience whatsoever with the whole concept?
As another illustration, I personally believe the perceived tendency (at least amongst western cultures) for women to "cry" more often then men is a social construct, although I'm not entirely ruling out a genetic component here, either. Does anyone have any insight on this aspect?
Regardless of whether this phenomenon is limited to humans, subsets thereof, or is spread across a variety of species, my main interest lies in the potential natural selection of this behavior through genetic means, and if so, why?
Any thoughts?