Why do we have moles on our skin?

During the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the developing fetus is making melanocytes – the skin cells that produce ordinary skin color. These aren’t always evenly spread out: random areas will acquire a cluster and during your life, these clusters can grow into a mole.

Moles are quite different from freckles. Almost everyone has from 30 to 60 moles on their body, but freckles only occur in people with certain genes – particularly the one responsible for red hair. Freckles also need sunlight to trigger them, while moles appear spontaneously.

Is crying good for you?

Many people would say yes. Crying is said to be cathartic, relieve stress and even remove toxins from the body, and most therapists claim it’s beneficial. There is evidence that blood pressure and heart rate fall after crying, while some allergic reactions are reduced after watching weepy films, and sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis who cry have less pain than those who don’t.

Yet the experimental evidence is mixed. Benefits are more likely when the reason for crying is a resolvable problem and the person crying is comfortable expressing their emotions and not otherwise depressed. One function of crying may be to show our distress, which can help build relationships, and this may be why crying helps.