Why do we feel a lump in our throat when we cry?

You can also cry about happiness. However, this interesting action is often a reaction to upsetting or emotional events and situations. However, when we cry, whether from happiness or grief, tears do not only flow from our eyes. We have red eyes, a runny nose and an occasional terrible headache. But the symptoms of crying are not limited to this. When we are sad, we are on the verge of crying or crying, our body has an interesting reaction to this interesting phenomenon, a lump in the throat!

Okay, but why? Why does our body have such an interesting physical reaction when we cry, mostly related to our psychological and emotional state? Why does it get stuck in our throat, why do we feel like we have a lump in our throat? Fortunately, science has something to say about this. Let’s look at the details together…

To understand why we feel like we have a lump in our throat when we cry, it is necessary to talk about why we cry and what happens in our body when we cry.

According to scientists, crying is not a fully explainable phenomenon. But there are several accepted theories about why we cry. For them, crying is a non-verbal form of communication for humanity, which has evolved into incredibly social creatures.

Crying is one of the easiest and most effective ways to express your emotional state to others and get their support.

These emotional moments, extremely important in a person’s life, are also very important for strengthening personal relationships. In other words, crying has a more important function in social life and human relationships than we think.

Another theory that seeks to answer the question of why we cry is quite interesting: to survive!

Scientists believe that crying is the most important sign of the obedience of people who lived thousands of years ago in the face of an enemy stronger than themselves. Because in the face of this helpless display of obedience, even the most cruel enemies will show mercy, at least not kill their weeping people!

However, a being that sees a crying human and shows mercy is, of course, also a human! Because predators in the wild often do not have the opportunity to feel the emotions of a crying person, empathize with him and pity him.

In short, crying arose as a result of evolutionary processes, social and individual, rational and emotional.

However, when we cry, some physical changes occur in our body.

Our nervous system is responsible for the physical changes that occur in the body when we cry!

Here are some of the bodily reactions that happen when our nervous system is activated, which is why we feel like we have a lump in our throat when we cry.

When the nervous system is activated, the opening in the throat, called the glottis, which is responsible for directing oxygen to the lungs, expands and remains open for a long time.

Because when we cry, our body needs more oxygen than usual, and we start to breathe harder. To balance this situation, the glottis opens more and stays open longer. But we do not feel that this hole is expanding. Instead, we feel tension in the muscles that try to keep our throat open even when we swallow. I mean, the lump in my throat!

The glottis, which constantly opens and closes at normal times, tries to stay open while we cry.

When we swallow, it is forced to close and resists this. The sensation of a lump in the throat is also caused by this physiological condition. The sensation of a lump in the throat is scientifically called the “feeling of a lump.” This sensation disappears when the glottic patency returns to normal.

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