Crying has always been an action that has been hidden from others due to its personal nature. This often happens in response to an emotional state – pain or strong emotions – including sadness, anger, and, occasionally, happiness. The key to human connection is vulnerability, which can often be portrayed through crying, hence depicting the integral role of crying in the contemporary society of today.
Why is there a stigma surrounding crying?
It is important to remember that crying is never a sign of weakness, this is prevalent especially with boys and men that are particularly affected by this stigma.
However, there are theories focused on the role of manipulation that crying encourages. This is because crying has a very powerful effect on other people due to how crying can easily neutralize anger. Hence, negative stigmas surround crying due to its influence over other people’s emotions and its polarizing nature.
Crying has two distinguished forms, which include genuine tears, as well as artificial tears – also known as “crocodile tears”. And while the former ones are the respected ones, the crocodile tears are part of the disrespected lot. Subjected to the social construct around the emotion of crying, we often label tears as excessive, normal, or sincere. This is a large contributing factor to the stigma surrounding crying and its negative connotations.
Why is crying beneficial?
Contrary to popular belief, crying has many health benefits and can have a beneficial impact. Studies also suggest that crying stimulates the production of endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones of the body. Crying is good for you. Having a space to work through your emotions will always be largely helpful, both mentally and physically. Crying is primarily an attachment behavior as it rallies on support from the people around us. This is known as an interpersonal or social benefit. Thus, it is easier to obtain support from people around you by crying.
Overall, crying is a natural action and should not have stigma surrounding it. So, take this as a sign to express yourself through tears regardless of the emotion behind them.