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Tears contain social signaling chemicals
Studies in mammalian species have shown that tears contain chemicals which serve as social signals, and the effects are very strong.Tears from male rodents contain a chemical that makes females more receptive to sex, or cause pregnant mice to miscarry, if the male's tears are not from the father.
Rodent tears also influence aggression behavior. Blind mole rats cover themselves in tears to reduce dominant male aggression toward them, while female mice tears contain chemicals that stops male mice from fighting. Infant rats also contain chemicals in their tears that reduce aggression toward them — their only line of defense.
Emotional tears reduced aggression by 44%
This study aimed to test the calming ability of tears. The authors collected "emotional" tears from six female donors, which they exposed to men while they played a video game designed to provoke aggression. In another experiment, the men played the game while in a magnetic resonance imagine (MRI) scanner, which measured their brain activity.The men displayed 43.7% fewer aggressive behaviors after smelling the women's tears, compared to men who smelled a control solution. The brain imaging experiments found that sniffing tears reduced brain activity in regions related to aggression.
"We've shown that tears activate olfactory receptors and that they alter aggression-related brain circuits, significantly reducing aggressive behavior," said lead author Noam Sobel, of the Weizmann Institute Department of Neurobiology in Israel, in a statement.
Smell of women's tears may reduce aggression in men — study – DW – 12/31/2023
Exposure to tears can reduce aggressive behaviors in men and alter aggression-related brain circuits, according to a new study.
