The big question of the day: Did cavemen cry?
Short answer: Yes (with questionable proof)
According to this artifact, not only did cavemen cry, they would do it in front of a boss (a modern day faux pas).
Long answer: Inconclusive
Ok, so I’ve been doing a lot of research, and I can’t seem to find a single source that says cavemen ever cried. Human beings can cry, so is it logical to assume that we’ve always cried? Why would we be created with tear ducts if they were never to be used?
I guess that raises another question: why would a caveman benefit from crying? I guess it’s also fair to ask, how do we benefit by crying?
BENEFIT 1: CRYING COMMUNICATES TO PEOPLE THAT YOU OR SAD, FRUSTRATED, OR HURT
Crying can convey emotion very well. If someone is crying, it’s usually a pretty safe bet that something is wrong. That’s why babies cry all the time. They’re hungry, scared, cranky, outraged or some other extreme emotion and they can’t use words to express that. Crying is about all they can do.
Just tell us what's wrong, Dawson. Clearly you're upset.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and bet all my money that at the very least, cave babies cried pretty often. Diapers and Yo Gabba Gabba weren’t invented yet and eating scum found on the underside of a rock isn’t nearly as nourishing as a jar of mashed peas.
BENEFIT 2 – CRYING OFTEN ALLEVIATES STRESS AND PROVIDES A FEELING OF RELIEF
Studies show that people who are in touch with their emotions tend to feel a great deal of relief after intense crying. Intense emotions will explode into a hysterical crying fit, but once the crying ends the person will be much more relaxed than before.
I’m guessing if cavemen ever became overwhelmed by life, crying probably could have done them some good. And heavens knows those folks had problems. They had to club animals to death for food. Nobody had an idea what was poisonous or dangerous out in the wilderness. Toilets didn’t exist. Oh yeah, and they had to deal with saber tooth tigers.
Imagine if this was alive and every day you had to stress about whether or not it was gonna kill you. I'd rather worry about the recession thank you very much!
So cavemen had to struggle to survive and raise a child. They had to club animals and other cavemen and eat them raw. They had few ways to shelter themselves from nature. And giant beasts with teeth over 1 foot long were always out looking to make them lunch. After realizing this, would it have helped cavemen to just let it all out and sob uncontrollably?
I’m gonna say no. After all, you have to keep quiet when a jungle cat is on the hunt for you. I’m guessing cavemen had to suck it up, and keep doing whatever they could to survive without the waterworks.
Kinda sad, huh?
