I WONDER… Why does the beauty of nature make us cry?

Recently, I flew into the Grand Tetons on a glorious late fall day. The magnificent peaks rose to meet me while, below, the Snake River carved a course flanked by the fading gold of aspens. As I descended into this grandeur, my chest tightened, I felt a pang in my stomach, and I began to cry. Why, when faced with such absolute joy, did my body process this emotion with tears and angst?   

What science says about tears of joy

In one of my favorite poems, Mindful, Mary Oliver perfectly describes the power nature has to wound us with her beauty.

“Every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight…”

For as long as I’ve been a victim of heartache in the face of natural delights, I’ve been curious about why we cry during some of our most happy moments.

Scientists describe such contradicting emotions that take place together as “dimorphous displays.” Think tears at weddings, weeping when reuniting with loved ones, or screaming when you receive good news. When we feel overwhelmed by one emotion, we may balance it by expressing its opposite. This serves to calm down the feeling’s intensity and make it more manageable.

There may also be a social element to dimorphous displays. Coupling tears with a happy experience may lend it greater importance or serve as a signal to others that you are feeling overwhelmed. In this case, crying may serve as a request for comfort or invitation for someone to share in your powerful moment.

It’s so cute I want to squeeze it!

Another example of dimorphous expression is when we see a super cute baby or adorable animal. Have you ever felt the urge to roughly grab, squeeze, or bite it? We don’t really want to inflict harm; instead, this feeling of aggression moderates the joy we feel in the face of such unbearable cuteness.     

While I appreciate the scientific explanation, I’ve always felt I cry in the presence of Earth’s profound beauty because I never want the experience to end. I feel the need to clutch it close to my heart, feeling it beat in synchrony with the pulse of the natural world I love so dearly.

Mindful

Every day I see or hear something 

that more or less

kills me with delight, 

that leaves me 

like a needle 

in the haystack of light.

It was what I was born for – 

to look, to listen,  

to lose myself 

inside this soft world – 

to instruct myself

over and over 

in joy, and acclamation. 

Nor am I talking 

about the exceptional, 

the fearful, the dreadful, 

the very extravagant – 

but of the ordinary, the common, the very drab,  

the daily presentations. 

Oh, good scholar, I say to myself, 

how can you help 

but grow wise 

with such teachings 

as these - the untrimmable light 

of the world, the ocean's shine, 

the prayers that are made 

out of grass?  

- Mary Oliver

Sources:

Oriana R. Aragón, Margaret S. Clark, Rebecca L. Dyer, and John A. Bargh. Dimorphous Expressions of Positive Emotion: Displays of Both Care and Aggression in Response to Cute Stimuli. Psychological Science 2015, Vol. 26(3) 259–273. Accessed online at: clarkrelationshiplab.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Psychological%20Science-2015-Aragón-259-73.pdf

Association for Psychological Science. “Tears of Joy” May Help Us Maintain Emotional Balance. Nov. 12, 2014 Accessed online at: https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/tears-of-joy-may-help-us-maintain-emotional-balance.html