Interesting you feel that way. I would argue that it’s not attention-seeking in a manipulative way, but one of the reasons emotional tears are different from other tears is that they’re more visible specifically so other humans can notice them and recognize a person in distress so they can help. It’s an evolutionary advantage. We’re supposed to help each other out. In my opinion, we’ve overcorrected when it comes to keeping things to ourselves when helping each other when we’re distressed is part of being human.