Crying is entirely normal and healthy, but many of us don’t want to cry in front of other people. When we don’t want to cry in front of other people, is there anything we can do to save face?

Ad Vingerhoets, the author of “Why Only Humans Weep: Unravelling the Mysteries of Tears,” said that there are two distinct components to crying: sounds of vocal distress and the production of tears. Dr. Vingerhoets, a professor of clinical psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, said that distress calls are common among human and animal infants, a product of evolution alerting parents to their offspring’s location and discomfort. But vocal distress noises can also attract predators. Humans have a prolonged childhood compared to other animals, so perhaps as a protective mechanism, he theorized, we developed tears as a visible way to signal suffering.

When we cry, an emotional stimulus kick-starts a process in the brain and triggers tear release from the lacrimal glands right above your eyes. Dr. Vingerhoets said that our reasons for crying change as we age. Children and infants will cry from physical pain, but adults rarely do. After adolescence, human empathy matures, and adults might cry in reaction to the suffering of others (both in reality and on a screen). Strong positive emotions from a reunion, team victory or moving artistic performance might cause adults to cry, too. But according to Dr. Vingerhoets, there are two major consistent triggers for adult crying. “The first is helplessness and powerlessness,” he said. “The second, separation and loss.”

If you anticipate crying

If you identify potentially fraught situations beforehand, you can limit your emotional response, said Lauren Bylsma, an assistant professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh.