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Professor Michael Trimble looks at why humans are the only species to have evolved emotional crying. He asks why we weep at tragedies in our lives and in those of others, and why we weep at the plight of fictional characters in film, opera, music and novels. Trimble looks at why we have developed art forms, particularly music, that move us to tears. And he draws connections with the development of language, self-consciousness, religion and empathy.

Trimble is emeritus professor of behavioural neurology at the Institute of Neurology, London. He has a lifelong interest in research in neuroanatomy and is also a psychiatrist with a lot of experience of treating mood disorders. He is also author of The Soul in the Brain.