What happens when we cry?

Wet face. Red eyes. Smudged makeup. It's easy to tell when someone is crying.

But why does your body think sending salty fluid from your eyes is an appropriate response to the song that always reminds you of your ex. Or does the world really need to know that you get emotional when you hear over Ed Sheeran?

It turns out that what happens when you cry is the result of an interesting chain reaction in your body. And once the process is in motion, it's pretty hard to close the floodgates. Here's a look at what happens to your body when you cry—and the strange reason you'll probably feel better after letting your tears flow.

You feel a strong emotion – you send signals to the brain

Emotions like sadness, anger, stress, and even extreme happiness are processed in your body as a sign of danger, like you're being chased by a bad person or about to be eaten by a bear.

Under intense circumstances, the area of the brain that controls emotions sends a signal to the hypothalamus, a pea-sized gland in your brain that is connected to your autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system handles functions over which you have no control, such as body temperature, hunger, thirst, and crying.

Your heart starts racing and you feel a lump in your throat.

To help you prepare for the upcoming crying, the body tries to prevent you from performing certain functions, such as eating or drinking. As a result, your glottis—the opening between the vocal cords in your throat—swells, making your throat feel full and tight. "The body is trying to protect you so you don't accidentally get secretions or tears in the lungs," says Patricia Salber, MD, founder of The Doctor Weighs In.

You may also experience other symptoms that are usually associated with sheer terror. Your heart rate may increase, your lips begin to tremble, and your voice becomes shaky.

Then the tears beginst.

All this emotion tells your hypothalamus to produce acetylcholine. Acetylcholine binds to receptors in the brain that send signals to the tear glands.

Experts don't fully understand why intense emotions make us cry. But they have theories galore. Some evolutionary psychologists believe that crying is used to send a signal to others that we are in pain and need help.

But when it's all over, you might actually feel better.

When you are about to cry, your first instinct may be to try to hold back those tears. But letting them out may actually be the smarter move. Crying can signal your brain to release endorphins called leucine-enkephalins, which act as pain relievers and boost mood. "That's how people start to feel relief," says Dion Metzger, MD, a psychiatrist.

So never suppress your emotions and cry when you need to. As we know, those who cry are strong.

After all, it's okay to shed a few tears, even if they're for Ed Sheeran.