Interestingly, tears contain cortisol - which makes me wonder if mothers can smell it, making it a better cue, or potentially an honest signal of distress as lots of it would be damaging.
Interesting. For this signaling argument, as you say, the first step would be to determine if the information can be detected. Do emotional tears differ from cleaning tears? Can perceivers detect the differences, if they exist? Interesting question...
Interestingly, tears contain cortisol - which makes me wonder if mothers can smell it, making it a better cue, or potentially an honest signal of distress as lots of it would be damaging.
Interesting. For this signaling argument, as you say, the first step would be to determine if the information can be detected. Do emotional tears differ from cleaning tears? Can perceivers detect the differences, if they exist? Interesting question...