There is a psychological reason "Someone Like You" is so effective at inducing tears.
Adele mentioned she wrote it because she was "exhausted from being such a b***h" in her other tracks and needed to write something that made her feel okay with the two years she spent with him.
While much of 21 was fueled by the anger of a breakup (think "Rolling in the Deep"), "Someone Like You" represents the final stage of grief: acceptance.
