Outside tears

I'm reading a book called "Hanta Yo" by Ruth Bebe Hill. It's a story that starts off in the time of the Plain's Indians just before they had contact with the white man. This book is so well researched it's incredible! The traditions, ceremonies and way of looking at the world are interwoven into a story with rich characters. She intersperses actual Dakotah words and phrases that get seamlessly translated in the text.

There was a part of this book where one of the characters is thinking about tears of joy. She said they fall from the outside of the eye where all tears of happiness fall. I started thinking about this and I believe that this is true, although I had never considered this before. When I've laughed so hard that I cried or when that emotional joyous feeling brings tears, I do think that that is where they fall from. Tears of sadness seem to come from the inside part of my eyes. I found that very interesting.