Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhy Do People Cry?Benefits of CryingHow Much Should You Cry?Seeking Medical Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Why Do People Cry?
Benefits of Crying
How Much Should You Cry?
Seeking Medical Care
Crying is a natural human response to a wide range of emotions. It’s normal to cry sometimes, especially at emotional events such as funerals, graduations, or retirement parties. Both men and women cry more than you may assume. Statistics show that women cry 5.3 times per month while men cry 1.3 times per month. This difference in crying occurrence is likely due to socialization and gender roles.
This article explores the many reasons people cry and its benefits, including what to do if you’re concerned about how much you cry.
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A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Psychologically, tears can be a response to sadness, joy, frustration, and relief, providing an outlet for intense feelings that might otherwise be overwhelming. Socially, crying can also be a form of nonverbal communication, signaling to others our need for support, empathy, or comfort and helping to strengthen social bonds.
We often feel better after we cry because crying releases emotion and stress. Science shows that crying is beneficial for the reasons below.
Has a Soothing Effect
Crying can have a soothing effect for some, but not all, people. It activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for promoting relaxation, digestion, and recovery. Shedding tears also releasesendorphins, the body’s natural pain relievers or “happy hormones,” which can create a sense of calm. Additionally, crying can facilitate an emotional release, which helps us process our feelings and find emotional relief.
Helps Relieve Pain
The endorphins your body releases when you cry can help alleviate certain types of pain. The physical act of crying also activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which helps promote relaxation, reduce stress, and may help manage pain. The emotional release that comes with crying also helps to diminish feelings of distress and discomfort, contributing to overall pain relief.
Boosts Mood
Crying can release pent-up emotions and trigger the release of endorphins, allowing your mood to lift. Additionally, crying often leads to seeking and receiving social support, fostering a sense of connection and comfort that can significantly improve your mood.
Rallies Support From Others
Releases Hormones to Relieve Stress
Crying flushes out stress-related chemicals like cortisol through tears, helping to cleanse your body. Studies even show that emotional tears contain more stress hormones than other types of tears.
Aids in Sleep
The emotional release of crying can help reduce anxiety and stress that might otherwise make it harder for you to fall asleep and stay asleep through the night. Plus, the endorphins your body releases when you cry can calm your mind and help you achieve a more peaceful and uninterruptedsleep.
Fights Bacteria
Improves Vision
Crying lubricates your eyes naturally, prevents dryness, and ensures yourcornea(the dome-shaped outer layer that focuses light and acts as a protective barrier) remains moist and clear. Tears also help wash away dust, debris, and other irritants, reducing the risk of infections.
Aids Grief Recovery
Crying allows us to express and process emotions, which is essential for emotional healing after a challenging event or season. It provides a release for the intensefeelings associated with grief, which can be helpful when coping with a loss and coming to terms with our emotions.
Restores Emotional Balance
As a natural outlet for pent-up emotions, crying helps release tension and stress. It can help regulate overwhelming feelings, bringing a sense of relief and clarity. Many people would describe crying as a cathartic process that allows us to process and resolve emotions and restore a sense of balance.
Helps Babies Breathe and Sleep
Crying is a natural and healthy emotional response that serves as a release for pent-up emotions and stress. While some people may find relief in crying frequently, others may express andwork through their emotionsdifferently.
Ultimately, there’s no set quota for crying. It’s essential to allow yourself to experience and process emotions authentically, seeking a balance between expressing your feelings and maintaining your emotional well-being.
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Crying is normal. However, if you’recrying more than usual, especially if it’s significantly impacting your daily life, relationships, or overall well-being, speak with a healthcare provider.
Ifcrying episodesbecome overwhelming, uncontrollable, or interfere with your ability to carry out everyday tasks or responsibilities, this may indicate underlying emotional distress that could benefit from therapeutic intervention.
Summary
Everybody cries sometimes. Crying is a natural and beneficial response to emotional triggers and our body’s way of working through stress, calming our nervous system, and removing toxins. However, if you’re crying so often that it disrupts your everyday life or causes concern, there’s no shame in contacting a healthcare provider.
Seeking mental health support can help in instances in which you’re carrying a lot of emotional stress and not sure how to manage it in a healthy way.
14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Why we cry.Millings A, Hepper EG, Hart CM, Swift L, Rowe AC.Holding back the tears: individual differences in adult crying proneness reflect attachment orientation and attitudes to crying.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1003. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01003Vingerhoets AJJM, Bylsma LM.The riddle of human emotional crying: a challenge for emotion researchers.Emot Rev. 2016;8(3):207-217. doi:10.1177/1754073915586226Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.A clinical practice review of crying research.Psychotherapy (Chic). 2021;58(1):133-149. doi:10.1037/pst0000342Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying. Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yGračanin A, Bylsma LM, Vingerhoets AJ.Is crying a self-soothing behavior?.Front Psychol. 2014;5:502. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502Cleveland Clinic.Why do we cry? The truth behind your tears.Pilozzi A, Carro C, Huang X.Roles of β-endorphin in stress, behavior, neuroinflammation, and brain energy metabolism.Int J Mol Sci. 2020;22(1):338. doi:10.3390/ijms22010338McDermott AM.Antimicrobial compounds in tears.Exp Eye Res. 2013;117:53-61. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2013.07.014Harvard Health.Is crying good for you?March 1, 2021.Pflugfelder SC, Stern ME.Biological functions of tear film.Exp Eye Res. 2020;197:108115. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2020.108115Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ.Using crying to cope: Physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. Emotion. 2020;20(7):1279-1291. doi:10.1037/emo0000633Kahn M, Livne-Karp E, Juda-Hanael M, et al.Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: the role of parental cry tolerance and sleep-related cognitions. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(8):1275-1283. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8488Chand SP, Arif H.Depression. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/
14 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Why we cry.Millings A, Hepper EG, Hart CM, Swift L, Rowe AC.Holding back the tears: individual differences in adult crying proneness reflect attachment orientation and attitudes to crying.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1003. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01003Vingerhoets AJJM, Bylsma LM.The riddle of human emotional crying: a challenge for emotion researchers.Emot Rev. 2016;8(3):207-217. doi:10.1177/1754073915586226Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.A clinical practice review of crying research.Psychotherapy (Chic). 2021;58(1):133-149. doi:10.1037/pst0000342Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying. Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yGračanin A, Bylsma LM, Vingerhoets AJ.Is crying a self-soothing behavior?.Front Psychol. 2014;5:502. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502Cleveland Clinic.Why do we cry? The truth behind your tears.Pilozzi A, Carro C, Huang X.Roles of β-endorphin in stress, behavior, neuroinflammation, and brain energy metabolism.Int J Mol Sci. 2020;22(1):338. doi:10.3390/ijms22010338McDermott AM.Antimicrobial compounds in tears.Exp Eye Res. 2013;117:53-61. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2013.07.014Harvard Health.Is crying good for you?March 1, 2021.Pflugfelder SC, Stern ME.Biological functions of tear film.Exp Eye Res. 2020;197:108115. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2020.108115Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ.Using crying to cope: Physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. Emotion. 2020;20(7):1279-1291. doi:10.1037/emo0000633Kahn M, Livne-Karp E, Juda-Hanael M, et al.Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: the role of parental cry tolerance and sleep-related cognitions. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(8):1275-1283. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8488Chand SP, Arif H.Depression. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Psychological Association.Why we cry.Millings A, Hepper EG, Hart CM, Swift L, Rowe AC.Holding back the tears: individual differences in adult crying proneness reflect attachment orientation and attitudes to crying.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1003. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01003Vingerhoets AJJM, Bylsma LM.The riddle of human emotional crying: a challenge for emotion researchers.Emot Rev. 2016;8(3):207-217. doi:10.1177/1754073915586226Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.A clinical practice review of crying research.Psychotherapy (Chic). 2021;58(1):133-149. doi:10.1037/pst0000342Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying. Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-yGračanin A, Bylsma LM, Vingerhoets AJ.Is crying a self-soothing behavior?.Front Psychol. 2014;5:502. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502Cleveland Clinic.Why do we cry? The truth behind your tears.Pilozzi A, Carro C, Huang X.Roles of β-endorphin in stress, behavior, neuroinflammation, and brain energy metabolism.Int J Mol Sci. 2020;22(1):338. doi:10.3390/ijms22010338McDermott AM.Antimicrobial compounds in tears.Exp Eye Res. 2013;117:53-61. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2013.07.014Harvard Health.Is crying good for you?March 1, 2021.Pflugfelder SC, Stern ME.Biological functions of tear film.Exp Eye Res. 2020;197:108115. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2020.108115Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ.Using crying to cope: Physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. Emotion. 2020;20(7):1279-1291. doi:10.1037/emo0000633Kahn M, Livne-Karp E, Juda-Hanael M, et al.Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: the role of parental cry tolerance and sleep-related cognitions. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(8):1275-1283. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8488Chand SP, Arif H.Depression. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/
American Psychological Association.Why we cry.
Millings A, Hepper EG, Hart CM, Swift L, Rowe AC.Holding back the tears: individual differences in adult crying proneness reflect attachment orientation and attitudes to crying.Front Psychol. 2016;7:1003. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01003
Vingerhoets AJJM, Bylsma LM.The riddle of human emotional crying: a challenge for emotion researchers.Emot Rev. 2016;8(3):207-217. doi:10.1177/1754073915586226
Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.A clinical practice review of crying research.Psychotherapy (Chic). 2021;58(1):133-149. doi:10.1037/pst0000342
Bylsma LM, Gračanin A, Vingerhoets AJJM.The neurobiology of human crying. Clin Auton Res. 2019;29(1):63-73. doi:10.1007/s10286-018-0526-y
Gračanin A, Bylsma LM, Vingerhoets AJ.Is crying a self-soothing behavior?.Front Psychol. 2014;5:502. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00502
Cleveland Clinic.Why do we cry? The truth behind your tears.
Pilozzi A, Carro C, Huang X.Roles of β-endorphin in stress, behavior, neuroinflammation, and brain energy metabolism.Int J Mol Sci. 2020;22(1):338. doi:10.3390/ijms22010338
McDermott AM.Antimicrobial compounds in tears.Exp Eye Res. 2013;117:53-61. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2013.07.014
Harvard Health.Is crying good for you?March 1, 2021.
Pflugfelder SC, Stern ME.Biological functions of tear film.Exp Eye Res. 2020;197:108115. doi:10.1016/j.exer.2020.108115
Sharman LS, Dingle GA, Vingerhoets AJJM, Vanman EJ.Using crying to cope: Physiological responses to stress following tears of sadness. Emotion. 2020;20(7):1279-1291. doi:10.1037/emo0000633
Kahn M, Livne-Karp E, Juda-Hanael M, et al.Behavioral interventions for infant sleep problems: the role of parental cry tolerance and sleep-related cognitions. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(8):1275-1283. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8488
Chand SP, Arif H.Depression. [Updated 2023 Jul 17]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430847/
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