There are three types of tears: basal tears that lubricate the eye, emotional tears caused by strong emotions, and reflex tears caused by irritation. Reflex tears attempt to wash out irritants and can be triggered by spicy foods through a burning sensation in the mouth. Eating spicy foods causes the brain's fight-or-flight response and produces reflex tears as the eyes and nose attempt to flush out the irritant sensation from the mouth. However, frequent eaters of spicy foods can build up a resistance to this irritation.