Very few people in the world still see crying as a weakness. Now, it has officially been backed up with data and studies. How often do you cry? most importantly, how often do we need to cry? We break the answer to that in this article.
In addition to feeling absolutely relieved, science find crying a healthy activity? Why? Because ‘‘crying activates the body in a healthy way,” says Stephen Sideroff, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at UCLA.
Why Should You Cry When You Need To?
First of all, the study targeted both men and women. Yes, because let’s get rid of that idea than ”men don’t cry” as if we weren’t in 2020 already. Social pressure has affected many people, telling them that crying is a sign of emotional decontrol. However, psychology has been defending the healthiness, normality and benefits of crying.
Health Benefits of Crying
Japan is well aware of how crying makes you a better person, they created ”crying-clubs” so you can socialize over few tears. According to several psychologists, emotional tears release a higher level of stress hormones, as oppose to reflex tears like when you get something in your eye for example.
Moreover, the reason you always feel good after a crying session, is that crying your eyes out contains more mood-regulating manganese. At the same time, your body also releases tension and stress, as well as it activates your parasympathetic nervous system.
How Many Tears a Week?
Now that we’ve established that crying is great, let’s discuss how much of it should we do. In fact, have you ever wondered how often we need to cry? Biochemist William H. Frey in 1980, argued that women cry on average, 3,5 tears while men shed 1.9 tears monthly.
Furthermore, these figures have increased significantly in the past years. The American Psychological Association, the average time adults spend crying yearly is approx 2 hours and a half. So, if you are falling under this number, go watch ‘‘My sister’s keeper”.
Photos: Pixabay.