One day Rose-Lynn Fisher wondered if her tears of grief would look
different compared to her tears of joy, so she began to explore them up
close under a microscope.
She studied 100 different tears and found that basal tears (the ones
that our body produces to lubricate our eyes) are drastically different
from the tears that happen when we are chopping onions. The tears that
come about from hard laughter aren’t even close to the tears of
sorrow. Like a drop of ocean water each tiny tear drop carries a
microcosm of human experience. Her project is called The Topography of Tears.
Tears from laughing until crying
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of change
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of grief
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears from onions
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Joseph Stromberg of the Smithsonian’s Collage of Arts and Sciences
explained that there are three major types of tears: basal, reflex, and
psychic (triggered by emotions). All tears contain organic substances
including oils, antibodies, and enzymes and are suspended in salt water.
Different types of tears have distinct molecules. Emotional tears have
protein-based hormones including the neurotransmitter leucine
enkephalin, which is a natural painkiller that is released when we are
stressed. Plus, the tears seen under the microscope are crystallized
salt and can lead to different shapes and forms. So even psychic tears
with the same chemical composition can look very different. Fisher said,
“There are so many variables—there’s the chemistry, the viscosity, the
setting, the evaporation rate and the settings of the microscope.”
Basal tears
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of timeless reunion
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of ending and beginning
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of momentum, redirected
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of release
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of possibility and hope
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of elation at a liminal moment
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Tears of remembrance
Rose-Lynn Fisher
Credit: Rose-Lynn Fisher
Like snow flakes and fingerprints, no tears are
alike. I can't believe the difference between all of these. If you found
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