Why Does Crying Make You Feel Better?

[@SciShowPsych]

This episode is brought to you by the Music for Scientists album! Stream the album on major music services here: streamlink.to/music-for-scientists. Check out “The Idea” music video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qobchWxqlqygmMU.

[@militantpacifist4087]

Could you please do a video about hypnotherapy? Thank you.

[@lordsamich755]

"Why Does Crying Make You Feel Better?" Well my therapist say's I'm a sociopath?

[@shrimpbisque]

This is part of why it's so messed up that a lot of kids are encouraged not to cry. Always being made to bottle up your feelings from an early age can lead to serious emotional issues later in life. This is why I never tell my nephew to stop crying; I always ask what's wrong and try to address his concerns with sympathy and reason.

[@zah936]

But if you show your weakness publicly, there are some people who will target you because you are vulnerable. Also it might create embarrassing situations which will create even more stress in your life. So cry your heart out only in front of people who won't use that against you.

[@3nertia]

All part of the plan - the system can't benefit from emotionally intelligent or well educated citizens heh

[@wren_.]

@@zah936 if you’re around people that think crying is a weakness maybe you shouldn’t be around those people

[@user-rm2qj2jh4l]

I agree so much! Thank you, @shrimpbisque! :)

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

@zah936 -- Kids have a much harder time emotionally self-regulating, so they should be allowed to cry. As they get older, they can learn ways to self-regulate *before* getting to the crying stage, and then to soothe themselves in other ways that won't make them feel embarrassed, until they can get a moment to calm down in private.

[@amberlyflorio-schiavulli4610]

I was told a lot to stop crying when I was younger so I did and started to numb myself and hurt myself. It took a while but I have learned to embrace my tears and even have happy tears!

[@petralizzy7383]

yep same here. i was a crier growing up and the slightest thing would set me off and my family and all the kids would make fun of me, now i just can't cry. but even if i DO, i just feel miserable afterwards

[@diyeana]

I had the same issue growing up. Crying = weakness. It took a lot of personal tragedy, lots more therapy, and a great deal of time for me to break that. Now I cry and feel better. But not too much. That would be silly. 😋

[@Melooka]

Same, still can't bring myself to cry most of the time :/

[@3nertia]

Brava!

[@3nertia]

@@Melooka It's okay, you'll get there :)

[@robinhahnsopran]

I'm an opera singer, and I feel better even when I've made myself cry as part of a performance, sometimes!

[@leeoswald668]

Wow 🥺

[@alexisc1474]

You’re so cool! Do you have any videos or audios of your performances?

[@karineroumache9124]

Interesting !

[@apcolleen]

Sometimes when I sing and get the vibration in the middle of my face and i sound... almost good?? my eyes just pour water into my face and nose. Even if theres zero emotionality or its a happy song.

[@m0n0x]

Thank you for telling us!

[@emrazum]

Do a video on sympathetic crying. If I see someone with watery eyes, I almost immediately start tearing up regardless of how I'm feeling

[@zah936]

I had that once. I was listening to a girl whining about another girl trying to steal her bf(which was untrue) I cried as she started crying even though I knew she was being possessive and paranoid and both her bf and the other girl are good people.

[@theanswerisowl]

Someone professional once had the same reaction to my tears and said that it tends to happen to them sometimes because of mirror neurons.

[@3nertia]

Are you also prone to sneezing when others sneeze, just outta curiosity?

[@girlinthesouth850]

Same

[@skylark7921]

Probably an empathy response - I have quite high empathy and I cry more in response to other people’s distress than to my own

[@mary9983]

Am I the only one who cries when they get angry? Then get mad at myself for crying and being embarrassing? Just me? Cool cool cool

[@darkestlight6784]

Anger comes from hurt

[@MigattenoBlakae]

Oh no when I get super angry I cry a bit too. It’s okay my friend. All the emotions are kinda connected to each other if you apply enough pressure. I mean look at the 5 stages of grief as an example of that

[@daphne8406]

hehe, I cry when I am angry too. And then the person I am angry with gets uncomfortable and starts to try and comfort me. But I don’t want comfort yet, I am still angry and want to yell some more 😝 Very frustrating. But fights end really fast at least 🤷‍♀️ I am a horrible person to have an angry argument with 😝 I don’t get into fights generally.

[@wolfferoni]

I do too, and it's a pain, especially if the person you're arguing with thinks you're doing it to make them feel sorry for you. I think it's basically because your body feels overwhelmed and the way to calm yourself down and better regulate is by crying.

[@ArawnOfAnnwn]

That's just your tear ducts activating. Some people have them more active / sensitive than others. It's only crying in the sense that tears are flowing, but everything else associated with crying isn't present.

[@MaskedNozza]

I didn't know there was so much research into crying. Hearing Anthony say "if you want to let it out, let it out" made me feel emotional but good, and I actually have difficulty feeling emotions in the first place. This video was a real tear-jerker

[@scalpingsnake]

As a dude, I inherently feel like I shouldn't cry but I know when/if I do it will feel good and refreshing.

[@saloni.sharma]

5:21 for you Let it out, it feels better.

[@spacebetweennumbers]

I'm sorry society has told you that it's wrong for men to cry. But it's not healthy to bottle things up if they're bothering you. Feel what you feel. True friends and family won't judge you for it.

[@InfectedChris]

@@spacebetweennumbers So true. I'm not ashamed of it at all. I just lost someone very close to me a few days ago and broke down in my apartment alone when I got the message. It's painful but I don't want to bottle anything up.

[@scalpingsnake]

@@spacebetweennumbers I have definitely been more open to it recently. As much as I know personally it's okay to do it, something in me (probably due to society like you mentioned) makes me focus on not crying as much as possible. But I have realised not only is it okay but it feel great too! :)

[@kaf890890]

I know that a lot of men have been given the message that they shouldn’t cry, but that is just one of the harmful myths that our society forces on us.

[@StxpTheGenxcide]

"If you want to let it out, let it out" 😁 Yesterday, I cried my eyes out. When I cry, I want to be alone and don't want anyone to see me or anyone to ask questions. And then, I feel goooood.

[@nlcovertops4789]

I was shamed out of crying as a child because I was a boy. When I grew up, I developed an emotional disorder. I wonder if they could be connected.

[@saloni.sharma]

Suppressing emotional responses generally cause disturbances in the way our mind works. I was the "good child" with strict parents and I struggled a lot as I grew up because I never expressed myself, if it wasn't a "good behavior". Took me years to understand what had happened and I'm still working it out... Human beings have a spectrum of emotions and we have to channelise/express them in a way to stay sane.

[@noneofurbusiness5223]

I was shamed out of crying and I was a girl. Irish-American stoicism, oh and abuse!

[@notion14]

If you want to convey the disorder chat away my friend 🙏👍

[@user-pz6kq2tv9m]

Please put this man in the main channel. He's so talented and his voice really fits the videos you put him in.

[@henrikh3089]

Moving to a new city and new university has had me feel very lonely during this pandemic, I still talk to other people and my family but rare do I actually get any physical contact. I was watching a favorite TV show yesterday and something really sad / beautiful happened. I started crying and probably did so for close to an hour. I don't even remember when I cried last, but it felt so good. I think I'll try to cry more often :)

[@InfectedChris]

It's not easy. I'm also essentially alone in my city. It's been so difficult this past year not seeing my usual work people.

[@oldscratch3535]

I don't know how old you are, but as a man, you will just have to come to accept that you will be deprived of physical contact and/or physical intimacy for long periods of time. As I got older I started to realize that no one wants to hug you anymore, you rarely get touched by anyone except by accident, etc.

[@Zoe_C95]

I moved to a new city at the end of 2018, I’ve got a few acquaintances but I haven’t made any friends, and with the lockdown I’m lonelier than ever. It’s so hard making friends as an adult.

[@InfectedChris]

@@Zoe_C95 It definitely can be. Especially during this hard time. I do go for my walks and sometimes can strike up random conversations with people. When I moved to this city, I only knew a few people from a Magic The Gathering forum a bunch of us posted on. So I ended up meeting some people. I know everything is messed up now but you can look into meetups/clubs with people who share the same interests as you. Games, photography, other hobbies....it's still early and my brain isn't working yet but you get the idea. But yeah, it's been over a year now and it's been so hard on so many people.

[@themanhimself3]

Just lost my old dog. This helps a lot.

[@nhaan4178]

I'm so sorry. I lost my dog 3 years ago and I cried for 2 days straight. It's still hurt when I remember him.

[@themanhimself3]

@@nhaan4178 thank you, I thought I was overreacting. I'm so sorry for your loss. It's incredibly hard. Some dogs are better than people.

[@InfectedChris]

When my cat died like 7 years ago, I was out of town and just broke down and went for a long walk alone. It's so hard losing a loved pet. It's why I took probably thousands of pictures over the years.

[@LuinTathren]

You are NOT overreacting! Dogs are family. My dog is my best friend. Sometimes I think it's silly that my dog is my best friend but it's true. She and I know each other so well and we read each other like books. I know I will have to say goodbye to her sooner than I expect. So I take every day and make them as special as I can for both of us. I want to have millions of memories to look back on when she's gone. I'll cry and smile and know that she loved me as much as I loved her. That's all you can do. Oh, and if you can, give another dog a home. There's no love like dog love! I'm sorry for your loss.

[@midnightportal3952]

I had to put my cat down in Jan. 2020 due to urinary blockage. I cried so much and even yelled. Crying wasn't enough for me to express the pain I was feeling 😔 we were always together and when I came home, he would meet me at the door and stretch his paws for me to pick him up. I still miss him 💕🐈‍⬛ I'm sorry you lost your dog!

[@girlinthesouth850]

I rarely ever cry, but when I do, DEAR GOD it ALL comes out

[@Kazooples]

I was gonna say “how does KZbin know I’m crying rn?” But who am I kidding? We all crying

[@Popgurliess]

crying means you have a healty soul and my childhood my parents say that its phatetic to cry but all time i cry i feel lots of better

[@--TOM--]

Well I don't even have this problem because my body doesn't want to cry for some reason

[@martina13118]

I whish i was able to do, or better said don't do that

[@carltonbanks2351]

Yes my friends might be crying and while my brain is piecing up the elements of the situations, my most present instinct is to ask "wtf are they doing?" Then I remember that I used to cry alone when I was younger and get why people can be moved so easily

[@AuntBibby]

*scishow psych:* you’re crying even though you’re alone? what an idiot; nobody’s gonna comfort you! *me, watching this in my empty house:* don’t say that! 😭

[@Pslm91v14n15]

They go by studies which they at least addressed is very different from real life. I cry when overwhelmed and largely seek solitude to do it. Comfort is nice but not even desirable every time. It’s the emotional release that’s the most important for me. Crying allows me to express that I’m not well.. and feel better after even if completely alone. Depending on the reasons of course.

[@NewMessage]

I haven't been able to cry in about two decades. When I finally do, it's gonna be a natural disaster.

[@martina13118]

Wow. I cry almost every day

[@oh2887]

Same i cant cry. I can do emogi cry but its not the same😭🙂

[@notion14]

Nah... Just a Relief..

[@evilsharkey8954]

Maybe try watching something amazingly happy or uplifting, something that cuts the onions in a good way. Happy tears are always less awkward than angry or sad tears.

[@WasThatOneDude]

Same, i never cried even from watching a movie, and i also couldnt cry irl since there was nothing to cry about, there was nothing i was sad of, but that changed when i played video games, the first sad game that i played (my friend recomended it to me) was called "before your eyes" so essenctially every time you blink, you skip time, and it was about a life story of a boy, at first it was a happy story and all, but then... well im not gonna spoil anything, you should try it urself, though i can say this, its guranteed that you will cry or atleast feel sad, 10/10 game and you should try it :)

[@sierrakay8964]

I’ve read, and had therapists tell me that some crying can be the bodies’ way of getting rid of toxins in the brain. I feel worn out after a depression-related cry, but mentally I feel the depression moment losing strength. I’m physically tired, so I sleep. And I always feel better when I wake up. Different tears also have different chemical make up. Sad, happy, depressed, angry all look different chemically.

[@nomeatbag]

what about crying so hard you start laughing at your own misrery out of helplessness?

[@saloni.sharma]

That's how my anxiety says hello after a panic trigger.

[@nomeatbag]

@@saloni.sharma Im sorry to hear, i hope you are getting better at handeling your triggers, sending good vibes!

[@saloni.sharma]

@@nomeatbag thank you. yeah there's a learning curve to understanding oneself and it works in waves/episodes but I'm getting there.. 😁✌🏻

[@Raiche58]

That's me alright!

[@StxpTheGenxcide]

Ahahaha, I do that too and then, I continue crying and then, I laugh again and then, I laugh about the fact that I probably look like a lunatic. Sometimes, I cry in front of the mirror. This way, I stop crying faster and I admire my ugliness when I cry and beauty when I stop... yes, my mind is gone when I cry.🌝

[@imptv]

Interesting episode and I really enjoyed Anthony as a presenter! Such a pleasant voice/demeanor.

[@bunstructors8591]

As an Asian American this episode is especially relevant today. Thanks for making it ❤️

[@Leen7293]

My heart goes out to you and all the people who were hurt by what happened. It’s sick. just know that others are thinking about you and know what it feels like to be targeted for your ethnicity or nationality. (coming from an Arab ❤️)

[@realhumphreyappleby]

Stay strong my friend

[@evilsharkey8954]

😢

[@karineroumache9124]

I feel terrible after crying. Physically drained, wrenched. I'd like to know why.

[@karineroumache9124]

Then again, that may be consistent with the experiment. I am always ashamed of crying in front of someone, I'd shy from the hug .. maybe I should try to get one next time 😅

[@williandalsoto806]

Depression, probably.

[@davidsalazar13]

@@williandalsoto806 here here

[@davidsalazar13]

@@williandalsoto806 or is it “hear hear”?

[@davidsalazar13]

@@williandalsoto806 so it’s originally “hear hear!” but modern people prefer “here here”

[@davidsalazar13]

I’d be very interested to see a study focused on crying in men. Sociocultural stigmas and stuff like that.

[@LuinTathren]

Interesting topic. If journals weren't behind a pay wall, I'm sure you'd find some foundational research on it.

[@oldscratch3535]

As much as women claim to want to see men "express emotions", they're often disgusted or turned off by overt displays of emotion by men. I remember crying like a blubbering idiot in front of my g/f who I had just caught cheating on me. She was absolutely disgusted by it.

[@Nimish204]

@@oldscratch3535 she was cheating on you. She didn't care about you. Try that with someone who truly cares.

[@Je.rone_]

David goggins book "you can hurt me" almost made me cry why he was talking about his childhood

[@sbomorse]

For me crying is very cathartic. Since my young nephew was killed I've cried so much. Sometimes it comes upon you without you knowing why, you might just see something that triggers you instantly and you have a breakdown.

[@elisam.r.9960]

What about those of us who prefer to cry alone? People that try to help out when I'm crying make me feel caged, and I get aggressive. Left alone I feel way less stress after crying.

[@FlesHBoX]

Kind of curious about crying for NOT stressful, or bad things. Like, I rarely cry when something bad or sad or stressful or whatnot happens. I am FAR FAR more likely to cry for good things. For instance, the Perseverance landing made me cry. Big moments in human achievement are probably one of the most common things that have made me cry.

[@elanianiyvwia8687]

Crying allows us to purge the negative relieving the stress and just getting our frustration out of ourselves. . . It's emotional not physical. Sure the things they talked about in the the happen. But it's about the emotion.. Letting it all go!! Getting it out...

[@britze118]

I use to go to power yoga class and after a good session in mind and body, I would cry quietly in corpse pose hoping no one would hear me. It was refreshing and cleansing,, I’m going to start going to classes again

[@quendelf]

Nothing better than a good cry after a stressful day. It definitely helps release that!

[@aLatios]

I just randomly listened to My Father’s Eyes by Eric Clapton this morning and I just absolutely broke down, deep, DEEP sobbing. Streaming full tears for 10 minutes straight.

[@Indra_the_goblin]

This would be really interesting if I actually could cry, instead I just have the constant sadness without the relief. Great vid tho.

[@notion14]

Sometimes we are either told not to cry Or, afraid to cry where the problem seems too big x

[@evilsharkey8954]

That sounds more like depression. It might be worth talking to a therapist. We’re not meant to be sad all the time, or worse, numb.

[@Indra_the_goblin]

@@evilsharkey8954 Don't worry I'm already seeing one, hopefully it'll work.

[@girlinthesouth850]

Same. I just stay numb thinking about it for months, and then it'll finally reach its boiling point

[@williandalsoto806]

Oh, I must be doing wrong.

[@RosheenQuynh]

I never feel calm after crying, I just feel fatigued and weak physically and emotionally. And being comforted (as much as I daydream about it) doesn't help me irl, it just makes the feeling of weakness of weakness and added shame (where I need not feel it) makes it worse... I stifle crying alot and I'm guessing doing it is ideally supposed to feel better but it just doesn't. Not even tears of joy. I hate crying. This entire thought process ironically threw me into bawling - even now I'm fighting it, but then... I am on my cycle so 🤷

[@MrDrakkus]

I don't think I've ever felt better after crying. I always feel worn out, tired, sore, often with a headache. It lasts hours too. I avoid it at all costs.

[@Devieus]

You may not have gotten the support you needed when it happened.

[@MrDrakkus]

@@Devieus Regardless of what other people do, I feel this way. Every. Single. Time.

[@ArawnOfAnnwn]

It isn't unusual for people to feel bad crying. In fact it's typical. Just because there's a social movement to encourage more people to embrace tears rather than suppress them doesn't mean crying is always good. If it was, people would have cried aplenty to begin with. How we feel upon crying varies from person to person, and even situation to situation.

[@Kokomiii]

I do feel a bit better emotionally after crying, but it really hurts physically. My teeth starts to have this throbbing pain as well as my whole face, plus a headache and a really stuffy nose haha

[@whitepouch0904]

@@personneici2595 I was about to say the same. In our house, we were discouraged to cry by my abusive father. But after understanding crying is not bad it actually helps then i don't feel the physical pains brought by suppressing myself to cry. It's not the crying that hurts us but the effort we exert to fight it back. Acceptance the we can be vulnerable and not strong all the time and breathing properly are the keys.

[@michaelhaywood8262]

As an adult I find it very difficult to bring on the tears, no matter how much I feel I would like a good long blub. Any suggestions? Another thing for which, I would like an explanation, is how is it that I find a good cry, on the few occasions in adulthood when I have been able to have one, both sad and enjoyable at the same time. This is so contradictory but so real.

[@quendelf]

We cry when we have no other way to express how we feel. I totally relate to that because beautiful things make me cry all the time and it’s just because I don’t know how else to express that feeling of overwhelming beauty.

[@cyancoyote7366]

Yeah, I don't really have anyone to give me comfort so I just cry to make myself feel better, I guess.

[@sophiathekitty]

I'm not able to cry... At some point growing up I learned to block it no matter what and I've never been able to undo that in any meaningful way.... So I just experience the build up and need to cry... And then the stress of blocking it.

[@reallifepsych3309]

Next video: why does ice cream taste better when I’m crying??

[@CourtneySchwartz]

Salt improves how sweet foods are perceived. That’s why sweets like, for example, cake will have a little salt in the recipe.

[@Shandakai]

Crying is wet and disgusting. But I can't deny how effective it is 😭😭

[@ReijiSakamaki]

I was wondering if they'd talk about people who feel worse after crying as that's always the case with myself who has BPD, and when he said "It's because of a lack of support" I realised why. BPD is a disorder which manifests primarily as the result of neglect and poor responses to a child's emotional needs - such as crying, which is why people with BPD tend to cry so frequently. So a brain which is used to support will feel better after crying, but a brain that isn't won't.

[@Aha5653ch.]

It’s only thing that replace drugs in heathy way

[@storyenby8203]

I cried last night and felt better

[@giraffe1219]

I get the urge to cry at the smallest things. My body does all that it can to prevent it, but I usually end up releasing some tears but mostly in a lot of physical pain, feeling tense because my body is trying so hard to get me to stop. Wish I could just let myself cry. Idk how.

[@notion14]

just think God is above you, He gave us all the gift of release of crying, shut the world out at these times and just cry 🙏👍

[@Devieus]

Very serendipitous timing on this video. Just had a good cry today. If any psychologist is interested in this, allow me to provide my experience: social aspects definitely help relieving, because not having a social outlet can make it linger.

[@ssaulove]

I have immense respect and empathy for tears in general, and I almost feel offended if someone I love feels ashamed of crying in front of me. Growing up, I learned from my dad-a firefighter and musician-that it was okay to cry. He told me my grandpa cried when he felt sad too, and so on. It was a curious realization to see other boys become deeply ashamed when they cried, as if they feared being rejected. But aren’t tears a way of calling for help and love, rather than rejection? What a dilemma a child can go through..

[@LawrenceKassab]

This was such a good video, thank you!

[@jeka8826]

I'm listening to Anthony Brown, but I'm hearing Lavar Burton reading me a story on Reading Rainbow. Same happy-soothing voice patterns.

[@Orodreth888]

I find crying babies irritating too. But I also don't like children, so there is that.

[@Hollylivengood]

Didn't Dolly Pardon say that's why people like blue grass music? It's sometimes very dark, and you get to drinking, and crying at some point while listening to it. Then you feel so refreshed.

[@Touchgrassplz]

i usually sleep better after soaking my pillow with tears :)

[@cdawg-cj7cn]

For me I can’t help but cry it’s an automatic response, I get ashamed of it but it really does help. I’ve been through too much. NOT SAYING OTHERS HAVENT! But yeah for me I could cry if I’m overly happy/upset/angry/ even confused at times. I don’t know why I think it’s a trauma response but then again I could just be bit of a cry baby but who knows, either way like this amazing man just said. Do what you feel would help! I love you all, I wish you all well ❤

[@sarahwilson7156]

I’ve heard that people often feel better after they cry, but that’s never been my experience. Instead after I cry I feel emotionally numb for a while. Does anyone else get that numb feeling instead of feeling better, or is it just me?

[@skylark7921]

Sometimes if I’m super, super depressed/sad/despairing that happens. Like I cry until I’m too exhausted to cry anymore and then I just feel dead inside. I think it’s my brain just being like “oh crap, that didn’t work! Quick, just turn off all the emotions!!”

[@lilleidragon8301]

I may have been wrong. Not sure though. When you do not shed tears they drain into your nose through your tear ducts, the tear gland makes tears not the tear duct. I thought the stress hormone cortisol in tears may pass through the dygestive system since the tears are swallowed and also run down your nose sometimes. There may also be adrenaline in tears. But meat supposably has cortisol and adrenaline in it people can absorb into their body through the dygestive system and the stress hormones in tears may do the same. However supposably it is possible that the stomache can dissolve it, and the liver will break it down if the stomache does not. Some experiment with piglets fed them either cortisol or adrenaline and the ones fed cortisol spiked in cortisol and the adrenaline ones in adrenaline. However babies do not shed tears for a little amount of time after being born until later yet they cry all the time but do not shed them. It sounds like babies produce tears but never enough to shed them and eventually produce enough to be shed a little later. Then cortisol and adrenaline spiking in their system makes no sense if so. Humans are also the only creatures which cry emotional tears but since I found cortisol in other bodily substances, urine has adrenaline and the liver can seemingly break down cortisol and adrenaline it may explain why animals may not get rid of cortisol or adrenaline with tears like humans. In some ways of releasing it however the animals cannot physically stop the release of cortisol or adrenaline. Why would humans be able to physically stop the release either if they cannot? Unless they could also some how perhaps, but differently. Also humans have cortisol in other bodily substances as well and we have livers and adrenaline in urine. Animals also have cortisol in saliva, humans do to actually and saliva is swallowed tears are too. I could not find much on adrenaline but many things are in saliva including various hormones wonder if anyone has studied if there is adrenaline in it or not. I noticed my cat hissing she was nervous and she acted calmer after hissing actually she was breathing faster and breathed slower after it, also it sprays saliva I realized and it occures seemingly when cats are afraid or mad and pretty upset which crying can sometimes seem to occure in response to similar things. Sometimes I think looking at species beyond humans helps you look at us in different angles. Perhaps hissing works similar? So who knows? Not sure. My guess is other animals could also have different methods of doing something which may function similar to humans crying is a possibility. Dogs pant when nervous and also happier and panting causes the saliva to drop out their mouth. Also breathing out sprays tiny droplets of saliva I discovered. Honestly though I think it does not make sense that not shedding tears is so harmful. Why would we even be able to have them drain into the tear ducts to begin with if it was? And babies only drain them for the first little bit of their lives rather than shedding. So it makes no sense. Also your nose ALWAYS runs when you cry so even when you shed the tears some would be swallowed if it did, and so it really makes no sense this would happen and some birds do not even have saliva, looking beyond cats and dogs. Maybe the birds have some other mechanism? Also I do not know if all animals have some mechanism to make saliva come out like hissing and panting but I do no know all animals. Do they have another mechanism? So if they could not physically influence the release of cortisol or adrenaline I do not see ehy humans should either. Anyways. So I do not know if crying is actually necessary or not. I am also unsure if you can physically alter what it does to you chemically or not and if physically shedding tears matters or not or if it is only mental if it is necessary. Other bodily substances have cortisol and adrenaline and the liver can break it down. It is possible if you do not cry then perhaps the body can still get rid of corisol and adrenaline if you do not cry, however urine and saliva have increased cortisol in them when people are more stressed sort of like how crying appears to occure when people are more stressed so it is possible that your thoughts influence this as well, not certain with the liver maybe it alters that too. It is possible whenever the cortisol is released in the liver and other substances it is possible it is whenever people are in the same mentality and emotional state as what provokes them to cry and so they may cry at the same time that happens. Not sure if the cortisol or adrenaline may be released if someone is not in the same mental and emotional state as for crying or not. If anything it is possible less could be released but I do not know. So then it may be necessary or not be if it is physically necessary or not is another question.

[@PFULMTL]

You can cry on demand if you watch Violet Evergarden anime show. T___T

[@alechall7082]

Every time i watch the end of eva. Like a baby. Every. Time.

[@ADeeSHUPA]

@@alechall7082 eva

[@Bgarcia-1097]

For me.. I sob every time I watch Clannad After Story 😭💔

[@videakias3000]

the worst is when I want to cry and tears just will not come out. I wish there was something that I could do about it.

[@davidgold3nrose]

Why do you get hungry when it's cold, and tired when it's hot?

[@marxtheenigma873]

I've found that if I want to have a good cry but the sadness isn't quite at the tipping point yet, I hum a sad song, but it mostly just seems to work when its one you come up with on the spot.

[@God_Yeeter]

Mood

[@abcjelly]

as a guy who rarely cries, crying feels good for some time after meeting relatives i rarely c & being in my home country for years... homesick (tho i’m not born/living there)

[@lilleidragon8301]

Whether crying is necessary or not or if physically not shedding tears is harmful or not I do not know. But I may have discovered how to make yourself cry or nit cry on a whim like there is a off or on switch for it. Your thoughts provoke you to cry or not. If you think of something which makes it happen you will cry if not you will not. Not sure what thoughts cause it it could be some specific thing but I think many thoughts might. I also think your environment could trigger it but the environment triggers thoughts so... It is kind of connected. I think many thoughts or environemental triggers could make you cry. But a few things I believe are something upsetting you are exposed to or think about, accepting something upsetting, possibly letting go of upsetting things, and being relieved of some upsetting thing, I believe that may be tears of joy. I think tears of joy are not actually happy and occure when people feel happier after being less happy not just because they are happy. So they might as well be called tears of relief. It is possiboe crying works similar to laughing actually thinking about or being exposed to things which provoke crying is sort of like thinking about or being exposed to funny things which may trigger laughing. Anyways just ideas could be wrong or right.

[@cj_curles0671]

It’s summer now, I just got out of school and for the past month my Dad was telling me we were going to Hawaii, but I keep asking him for help with Bookings and stuff, and he just doesn’t wanna go and so I’m all excited and I don’t think we’re even going... I just sat on my bathroom floor with the door closed crying.

[@drizzlingrose]

The reason i watch movies and shows is for the moments that make me cry, i LOVE that feeling, if its sad, heroic or intense, i just love that feeling of being so emotionally overtaken and enjoying the story, or visuals or sound of the media, if i dident feel this strongly when i watched that stuff, i dont think id even watch ^^

[@rostkowianka]

as a teenager I would have these long crying sessions when I would talk myself into heights of self-pity - to afterwards feel relieved, calm, and that my problems were kind of silly in proportion. I really miss the ability. nowadays i cry at fiction more often than reality - unless they are tears of frustration, during an argument. these are the worst, because I can feel they calm me down, and I will often make a more coherent case for myself while crying - only to be dismissed as "manipulative", with my "crocodile tears", because of being *both* crying uncontrollably *and* visibly calmer.

[@hacked2123]

There is definitely something chemically that occurs...I am someone who has very little variation in my mood (never angry, hard to excite, always calm and collective) but I very vividly remember an time where I was in a "funky" mood that I couldn't kick, and then I watched up and was back in my usual swing of things, and even happy, which I can't rationally explain because that movie has no great gain compared to the great loss...also I watched the movie alone and with nothing in particular to cry out (aka vent my emotions)...the change in behavior was most perculiar to me.

[@manishsanatani1008]

Thank you

[@kevorkdedeyan3337]

If I cried

[@lilleidragon8301]

Basically like being happy is probably good but smiling just shows you are happy. I think crying is just another expression. It similarly reflects something psychologically which may be important the crying is just a expression like smiling. I found chemical things happen inside your body when smiling like with crying and tears so crying is not so different from other expressions it may just reflect different chemical things happening

[@lilleidragon8301]

Some people get embarrassed about crying. Actually about talking about emotions in general primarily negative but I think positive is possible too actually. I think embarrassment is something people actually may not know what it is. Social anxiety actually appears to increase embarrassment, so I wondered if it is in fact self consciousness or at least occures with it or is linked some how. People have trouble expressing emotions sometimes. Some people get embarrassed about emotions and embarrassment at least appears to occure commonly with self consciousness if it is not some form of it. Not sure though. I think trouble expressing emotions sounds like trouble communicating emotions. Communication is social. I think there are many social things revolving around emotions and that it is possible then when people get self conscious about things or have bad social skills people can also have issues with social things revolving around emotions and also be self conscious about sharing emotions similar to how people might be sharing their thoughts, interests, etc... People can hide emotions for similar reasons thy might hide any part of themselves good or bad. I am wondering if sometimes people can in fact be afraid to show emotions to a extreme and it is actually a form of social anxiety where people are actually so self conscious and embarrassed about revealing this part of themselves which feels emotions and being negatively evaluated to the extent that some people go to extreme lengths to conceal it and it is possible these people may not only be self conscious about emotions but emotions are no exception when they are just self conscious, emotions are a part of you like other things like behaviors. It is possible some could be more self conscious about them more specifically than other people. Negative or positive emotions but some get it more predominantly over one. But it is possible emotions are just no exception as a part of yourself you can be self conscious about. I think people can even act happy sometimes to just make others like them because maybe some people wouldn't like being around a really miserable person and like being around happy people better. I think people can have issues with social skills and it is possible that trouble expressing emotions, if communication is social it is highly likely not being able to communicate emotion is the tip of the iceberg and that some people have issues socially and it is possible that like anything people may not register socially what society expects from emotions there's rules about when we express emotions or not, positive and negative and likely many other things and positive or negative social responses to things revolving around emotions in apoplectic like anything and some may or may not get it. I think people also could just not understand social things sometimes in general regardless of if it is revolving around emotions or not but some could struggle more expusively with emotions. I wonder if this could explain things with ASD and emotions actually. I think so in a sense these issues are not as much a emotional issues as they are a social problem except self consciousness and the emotional issue revolves around social things. May explain some things. I also think poor social skills could possibly make people nervous about social situations they could cause negative social responses to be more prevalent and I wonder if having negative social responses in the past could be one cause of self consciousness sometimes. I think that not knowing what to expect could make people nervous socially if they don't get social things. I think that being nervous about social situations could make people so nervous they have issues socializing because they cannot think straight, being nervous could also cause them to avoid social situations and this could worsen people's social skills so I think they are interconnected and it is hard to know what is the root cause. I think emotions while they are not the only things people can have issues with socially or be self conscious about I am thinking they are no exception to the rule either. Wonder if people who don't show emotions can sometimes not and just blow up because they have a panic attack about it being shown to other people? Is it like social anxiety? Who knows? Depends could be like a u healthy thought pattern and the expressions people have might reflect it. I do think not crying because you are psychologically thinking in ways which are unhealthy might cause a increase of stress hormones either way but physically whatever people do when it comes to crying it is just either concealing or revealing the expression I do wonder if people breath in ways which alters things too though. So not shedding tears and stuff may be just hiding the expression. Don't know about sobbing though. Might alter breathing.

[@sanders555]

I almost never cry. One night camping in the woods with some friends, we ate a bunch of mushrooms. A couple hours into the trip and I'm laying in my hammock quietly bawling my eyes out for a solid 30 minutes. When asked if I was doing okay, my response was, "Yeah! I guess I just need to have a good cry." And I guess I did. Strangely enough, I felt pretty great afterwards.

[@lilleidragon8301]

Well, I am not sure if crying itself actually changes anything psychologically, emotionally or chemically or if it is just a expression. It could be correct that crying itself actually does or doesn't alter anything. I am wondering whether it is the psychological things happening crying reflects or it is actually physically restraining yourself from crying I wonder if crying is more important than people think. I wonder if either not physically allowing crying or psychologically what happens when people cry could even cause anxiety and depression if people do not do these things. What I have been trying to say is think crying could be some non verbal communication just like frowning, scowling, smirking, or grinning and I am not sure if not crying alters people emotionally, chemically or psychologically any more than any other non verbal signal. I am not sure if this is correct though. It is possible crying is more like some bodily process like eating, sleeping, or drinking than a non verbal signal. Maybe not physically allowing it to be done the way it is naturally supposed to be done is a problem but I am not sure. It is possible it is both. I am not sure if crying itself changes anything or if it is the thoughts and actual psychological or emotion states a person is in which alters how people feel and like body posture or furrowing your brow it just reflects what you are thinking, feeling and what is happening psychologically in a person or chemically as a result. The body and mind are connected so it is possible all kinds of thoughts and emotional states effect a person chemically. For example people have endorphins, serotonin and dopamine in their blood when they smile but it is likely smiling itself doesn't actually cause this it just is some communication that shows people are happy. It is possible being happy is good for you but smiling itself does nothing it is possible crying is no different. There's just a external chemical reaction in the tears themselves rather than the chemical reaction being internal. It is possible that crying itself does nothing but show what is happening I am just not sure what is happening like with smiling where people know a person is happy. Say crying means someone is recovering from some sort of emotional distress I think then it is possible allowing yourself to recover is good and healthy but I am not sure if the physical act of actually crying does anything itself other than reveal or conceal the expression. Either way hiding if you are recovering makes it harder for others to help you emotionally say if you hide you're crying from a therapist so perhaps not talking about emotions can cause issues sometimes just like hiding a health issue physically from a doctor might or even friends or family. But crying is not the only expression that shows how you are feeling and any emotional expression non verbally or with words to communicate emotion is the same as crying in the sense it hides things it prevents it from allowing others to see if you are OK and help sometimes. Not crying is just one expression which shows it non verbally. It is possible that the health benefits are actually from having a healthier thought pattern then rather than the expression being expressed but it is hard to say. I could be wrong and maybe crying is more like breathing and it is important to do it because it itself alters something but I am not certain. I think there is possibility either way or could be both. Either way I do think maybe it is possible if people do not think in ways which cause crying it is possible that it could caue issues. But if it is just a expression it is possible some people are recovering but just not showing it. It makes it harder to tell which is which. Someone could not be crying also because they are not recovering. If it is more of a bodily process it is possible it does matter if you actually allow the process to happen physically and it does not just alter if you express the information or not. I am not sure though. For the idea it is a form of communication exclusively. Tears are not produced by tear ducts they are produced by the lacremial gland and drain into a person's nose and are swallowed or run down the nose which is why people get runny noses when they cry and sniffle. The fact people do always get runny noses when crying means a lot of tears probably get ingested and the amount of tears which actually are shed seems to either be so small or so much less than what is ingested in comparison to how many are shed and it takes a lot to shed nearly a significant enough amount of tears which would reasonably even effect much. I think maybe when people feel like crying regardless if tears are shed or not they are being produced and are draining into the tear ducts so if people do not allow themselves to cry they are actually concealing the expression but not feeling like crying is when you are not in the state psychologically for crying. Say it means you are not allowing yourself to recover from some emotional distress. Saliva exhaled is so small it probably would do nothing but tears are also very small. Drop in animals might be similar. Not sure how much saliva would come out if something vomits. It is not physically possible to prevent urine or sweat from releasing stress hormone why would crying be different? Animals do not shed tears like humans humans are the only creatures to do this but animals and humans have stress hormones in other bodily substances besides tears. Babies do not shed tears until to weeks of age but produce them so they would purely ingest them. And babies are humans not animals so something has to explain this because they are human. Some sources claimed stress hormones in meat are broken down by the stomach and the liver breaks it down. Animals have cortisol in saliva and swallow it. Blood samples can be tampered with. Does it even make sense we would physically be able to even stop tears from being shed if it were truly harmful? Children vomit more than adults even though they are at a age they physically shed tears. It is the chemicals in the brain which actually have a psychological impact not the blood. Then there are things which may prove it is not just a expression and more of a bodily process which alters you emotionally itself. Some. Some source claimed after feeding some piglets apple juice with cortisol and others apple juice with adrenaline they spiked in those specific hormones after being fed when their blood was tested. But blood samples can be tampered. Animals actually have stress hormones in saliva and dogs appear to pant when stressed sometimes though it is not the only reason they pant. Cats seem to spray saliva when hissing sometimes and saliva droplets come out when we breath and animals do likely too. It could be swallowed like tears. But sometimes the amount of saliva released probably would be small. It is unhealthy to have too little cortisol or possibly adrenaline perhaps our bodies would reabsorb stress hormones after temporarily removing them from the blood stream as a result. However the amout ingested VS which comes out of both animals in saliva and humans in tears is very small or much less in comparison to what is ingested. I wondered if babies might some how release stress hormones in some other way like animals but who knows? I found babies vomit more than adults it is possible since saliva is swallowed and also produced more when you vomit and it sometimes occures due to stress I thought maybe babies could release stress more in this way? Don't know. Babies do drool a lot too it is hard to say why though. Some animals vomit as well perhaps ones which do not might do something else to do something similar we're unaware of. It would also depend on if drooling and vomiting would release a significant amount of stress hormones even if this was a alternative way. But children vomit and they shed tears unlike babies. So it may not be because babies release stress in a alternative way. Blood still carries chemicals and hormones to the brain. Not sure though. It is possible that crying is a expression or a bodily process which alters people emotionally. Or perhaps it is both. I don't know. Either way I think either not thinking in ways which causes crying or the release of stress hormones could cause health issues whether or not crying is a expression which is hidden by not doing so or it is a bodily process which causes issues if you physically restrain it from naturally happening. Perhaps it is both, who knows? Either way I do not know if it is necessary or it is just a reflection of what is emotionally or mentally happening in a person.

[@Ona1979]

I can feel some release after crying, but my father would become more violent if I started crying or he would freeze me out. My mother either saw it funny or disapproved. So I don't usually like to cry in front of other people or let people see evidence that I have been crying. Also, I usually get a head ache that can last for 6 hours.

[@Auburnisntmyrealname]

I cry after stressful weeks on Friday night,and I feel so good on Saturday.

[@ariesx6515]

I also discovered that my mood doesn’t change after crying during a depressive episode.

[@lilleidragon8301]

I suppose a issue is the word, "cry" crying is actually many things and not one thing. so like if you asked if crying was healthy or it or is necessary or not I think being more specific would help. And sjnce it appears crying is many things it is possible some aspects of it the answer could be yes it is necessary and no it is not depending on what you mean then. Like crying is shedding tears, sometimes people can hold them back it could be done physically or mentally someone can mentally avoid triggers or thoughts which provoke it someone may physically stop it. Crying is sobbing, and wailing, this is verbal, it is either communication which is the auditoral equivilant of body language which it probably is, but it may also be a thing which alters breathing... Then it appears it seems there is different kinds of sounds and breathing people make and sounds beyond just sobbing like some whimpering type sounds..... Etc... Crying is also a tone of voice I suppose... I guess crying is a lot more auditoral than just visual. So crying is many things actually. Animals are said not to cry but they appear to do something like sob many do and do it more when babies even seemingly, making calls to their parents. It is mostly the tears that differ, I am wondering if animals have other ways of changing their breathing and releasing cortisol and adrenaline which may explain some things about that. I am not sure which aspects of it are necessary or not if they are it is many things. It probably is body language but could be a process as well which changes things chemically and things and your breathing... It depends I suppose on what you mean. I suppose it is either something which is communication or it is some mechanism your body uses to change you emotionally possibly to help you feel better which it appears crying may not be the only thing like this like sighing, laughing and potentially oddly screaming may also.... Sweating may actually release cortisol not sure about adrenaline. So "cry" is too general and unspecific I believe. But like laugh is just one thing and more specific for example.

[@nattygsbord]

I think how animals react to crying. I have seen images of cows crying at the slaughter house when they know they gonna die. And I also think of youtube videos of dogs who run forward and try to comfort a human who is sad and crying. My dog was also like that (may God bless her soul). She had kind of a 6th sense and knew how people felt inside despite she did not of course know the human language.

[@lilleidragon8301]

I thought maybe crying was communication I think it still may be. But I think the signal crying may not only show people how we are feeling but may allow people to literally gain chemical information about what is happening inside their bodies. Crying may allow people to literally see chemically a person's emotional health and well being. I think that the more someone cries the more stress hormones are released that also means you can tell how much stress hormone is released when people cry which gives you chemical information about them when they cry which effects them emotionally. In fact I think a person not crying can sometimes give you as much information about them is if they are crying and how often they do or do not cry can as well. other bodily substances have cortisol including, sweat, saliva, and urine, and supposably the liver may break it down, urine also has adrenaline I do not know about the other bodily substances. However crying is more obvious than urine, saliva, and the liver breaking it down, sweat however is more obvious than the others. Urine and saliva have higher amounts of cortisol when people are stressed and obviously sweat occures when people are stressed sometimes, not sure about the liver.. And crying probabky also occures sometimes when people are strrssed, so this means it is possible that the cortisol and adrenaline being released in other ways may occure in response to the same things which may provoke crying which probably means people would also cry when it is being released in those ways but I do not know if it is always or not, sweating does not always occure at the same time... But other than that it is possible it can often occure or sometimes occure at the same time and sweat is also visible like tears. So I think this would happen because it is possibly important for people crying or others to see that a person is emotionally healthy or not. It is like how we can see signs of issues by symptoms people physically may have for pysical illnesses it shows signs if we are ok or not. I think crying is like if someone took your temperature to see if you are ok but instead for emotions. Also not cryig because this also shows information just as much information. People can also tell if they themselves are or are not crying and feel how much they cry so they could also gain informaion from it themselvs.

[@linuxdragon57]

This video made me want to cry.

[@lilleidragon8301]

I believe crying is actually a form of communication but it may actually be chemical based. For example animals can sometimes smell the mood of another animal it seems to be chemical based, I think crying is essentially a visual form of this in humans, I think blushing and sweating when nervous may be similar. Our brain's thoughts influence all kinds of chemical reactions, cortisol makes no difference it is just more visible. It seems the production of tears is the only thing that actually effects cortisol when crying not the actual act of shedding them or not the tear ducts drain all tears into your nose again even unemotional. It is physically impossible then it seems to stop your body from releasing cortisol into your tears, however it is possible people can mentally stop it by thinking as well as start it actually. It seems the production of tears happens or stops based on thoughts. But if it is unhealthy to not think of something that causes cortisol to be released in the tears it is really no different than thinking anything that negatively influences your health chemically. The only difference between crying and other chemical reactions caused by thought is it is more visible or obvious. I am also wondering if when people just, “feel” like crying that it may be possible that their eyes are producing emotional tears. I also wonder if producing more tears actually equates to more cortisol being released I believe it could be for other reasons but maybe if people feel like crying but do not shed any tears the eyes may not be producing enough tears to be shed but are still releasing cortisol into the tears it is possible that the eyes only produce enough tears to be shed in order to send a signal and it does not change how much cortisol is in them just how much tears there are. I could be wrong it is also possible people may not be producing as many tears if they feel like crying and do not or their tears are being held back either mentally or them draining physically into the tear ducts. So it is the case that shedding tears just causes the signal to be desplayed and holding them back in the physical sense may just hide the signal and that it is essentially the case.. In words people will say, “I am fine” Or say, “I am not okay” yeah hiding your tears is basically the non verbal way of saying, “I am fine”. I suppose this makes sense as to why people may hide them sometimes I guess people shedding them must be a non verbal way of wearing your emotions on your sleeve. But other non verbal communication which shows you are upset may be similar. Crying is just really hard to hide it may be it is supposed to be that way I think signals of distress may be more important to be seen sometimes which is why. Actually if letting yourself say feel upset makes your eyes produce tears it is also possible it may show people if you are allowing yourself to be upset or not as well as if you are or are not upset or whatever it means. It is the case I found that urine, saliva, and sweat have cortisol, it seems that saliva contains higher cortisol when people are stressed. I did not find as much for urine for people other than higher cortisol causes more in urine, I found however that dogs have increased cortisol in urine when stressed. And people obviously sweat when stressed sometimes. So our thoughts may also influence cortisol in other substances. I am not certain if the other bodily substances releasing it ever occures independantly of tears with releasing cortisol except maybe sweat which seems to. It is also a question of if it releases cortisol in response to stress do you have to make yourself stressed to release it? Is this like intentionally cutting yourself so a wound can heal? Or is it like tending to a wound so it heals better? I do not know. I do not know if not thinking of something stressful would prohibit the appropriate release of cortisol or not. Would it need to be released in excess if you are not upset? I do not know. I am not certain also what thoughts provoke the release perhaps it is when you let go of stress.. Maybe it is both when stressed or letting go. Who knows? Maybe a lot of things release it. An issue is it is more obvious with crying and sweating I suppose but other ways may be less obvious more similar to other chemical reactions which are more invisible than tears. I supoose people can tell if they need to use the bathroom but if cortisol was released in say the kidneys it may not have to make you go to the bathroom immedietly and the cortisol is gone from the system so this may be still may be more invisible. Saliva is the hardest because it is not obvious at all. May explain why animals do not shed tears however it seems some in fact quite a few make sounds in response to distress and humans do too, sobbing and wailing. I also thought of how sobbing sounds very similar to laughing I do not remember if I previously said this. I believe laughing and sobbing may be some how one in the same actually. I think it may be similar to how cats pur when nervous and happy. I think people laugh when they socially interact, I think this would make people pretty happy, so maybe people laugh when happy, and people seem to sob when something happens like someone dies which causes a person to no longer be able to socially interact with someone so it seems to be in response to being extremely unhappy. I believe laughing may be like a cat puring when happy and sobbing may be like a cat puring when nervous. I think that it is also interesting people can laugh when nervous or uncomfortable sometimes, I wondered... What would a nervous or uncomfortable laugh sound like if a person had a tearful voice? Would it sound like sobbing? Who knows? Anyways I could be right or wrong. Who knows? Turns out crying may not be so different from blushing or sweating when stressed. It may not be so different from smiling or frowning but it may be chemical based. It also basically reveals information about people whether or not it is against their will sometimes.

[@katybechnikova2821]

I sometimes purposefuly search for something sad to make myself cry when I'm stressed to soothe myself because calming through breathing and stuff like that is harder for me.

[@carlasecchi1093]

Le lacrime danno libero sfogo alle emozioni negative, facendoci stare meglio !

[@vixen1143]

I know when my baby crys it gives me a lot of distress causing me to urgently find out and fix the problem. When I hear other peoples babies cry it causes a me stress. Personally I try to only cry alone. Partly because some people see it as a form of minuplation and partly because I don't want to ugly cry in front if people. I don't cry often but when I do it feels like I've worked through some of the emotions I had pent up.

[@bobthegoat7090]

I love crying but I can't do it with others around. I can't say a word and my throat burns like hell until I get alone and let it out. I hate the fact that I feel ashamed of crying and the fact that some also find it stupid to cry

[@lilleidragon8301]

I wondered why animals do not shed tears like humans. I wondered if they could get rid of cortisol in other bodily substances, urine being one considering dogs will sniff it and all that to gain information including about the emotions the other dog is feeling possibly. Turns out dogs do have cortisol in urine and saliva and that the cortisol increases in their urine when they are stressed similar to emotional tears in humans..... But...... It turns out humans also have cortisol in urine and saliva as well as sweat which is produced when we are stressed sometimes more excessively which makes sense. So it may be possible that if we do not cry other things can get rid of cortisol maybe not crying does not actually cause as many issues as people think. Also all unemotional tears go into a person's nose, as well as tears people cry, which means it is likely unshed tears do as well meaning those tears may not go back into the blood and return all that cortisol back to the blood. It is possible humans realize we feel better after crying because it is more obvious than with other ways of getting rid of cortisol. Endorphine are released in response to both stress and happiness... That makes no sense because why would it be released in response to two completely opposite emotional states. Also studies claimed laughing, screaming and smiling release endorphins. Excercise does etoo. Lots of things do. Also some of those things all had to do with breathing and all sounds we make require breathing it may or may not have anything to do with anything. Aand maybe endorphins are some how related to breathing. There was a article that also claimed endorphins cannot cross the blood brain barrier they may not actually make you feel anything, emotionally anyways. And considering it seems to be present regardless of stress or happiness that may make more sense. I do not know about the slower breathing. It is possible that it is caused by other things. But cortisol increases the heart rate of a person I believe I did find often in response people breath faster. Cortisol is higher when people are stressed in general. It may or may not have anything to do with crying in of itself. Embarrassment seems to activate the fight or flight system I think embarrassment is a word we use for specific kinds of situations that make people self conscious. I think self consciousness is all related to fear revolving around social evaluation kind of like social anxiety but I think it is not always as blown out of proportion as the actual disorder social anxiety. I also found loneliness increases crotisol I have wondered if crying is actually some kind of communication may make sense that not communicating could make a person lonely. Whether endorphins do anything social interaction and positive conversations also raised endorphins. I think crying makes some people embarrassed. Perhaps if it is communication that could explain why it is revealing because it is hard to stop and anything that reveals personal information may cause embarrassment or self cosnciousness depending on if the person wants the information revealed or not. So basically I do not know maybe crying is not actually that essential after all for making you feel better in of itself I could be wrong though. It may be possible it is communication. Also other things can release endorphins like deep breathing and sighing they said works better than deep breathing and it is likely other things could do this if the endorphins do anything at all to how you feel considering that they are released in two opposite emotional extremes and may not cross the blood brain barrier. If anything I think it might be more some kind of communication, I could be wrong. However if it is communication I think it communicates any negative emotion has reached an extreme and that in order to tell which, anger, fear, or sadness etc... I think maybe the rest of a person's body language may show which. They may look sad if sad or mad if mad for example. Because it means people are in extreme pain, it also may explain our reaction to it. I also think happy tears just communicate people are no longer in some extreme pain they were experiencing. Why are humans the only creatures in the world to shed tears? If animals had cortisol in urine and saliva or some other bodily substances that humans do not possess and humans exclusively had it in tears I may think otherwise. Yet humans have it in other things too. If crying was so essential I bet animals would do it like us but they do not. I though think it may prove it is more a communication. I do not see animals crying in response to grief with tears, some make sounds kind of like humans but I do not know if all seem to and sometimes it seems they they do not, aand some cannot make any sounds or even breath oxygen like fish. It seem the ones which do not do anything like crying in humans seem to be able to recover from it without tears some how... If for example the argument is they can get rid of crotisol without tears humans may also be able to get rid of cortisol without tears due to it being in other substances. Not certain about things like breathing. It is possible animals have other methods of regulating their breathing I have wondered if purring may in cats they purr both when happy and nervous, I realized laughing and sobbing sound extremely similar in humans maybe it is similar. Dogs pant when nervous or stressed, they yawn when they are nervous... It is hard to say though... But any sounds require breathing to be made. So maybe crying is more of a signal or maybe it makes you feel better. Either way it seems it may be possible it is not the onky exclusive means of making you feel better possibly. It also could be both. Not certain. It may be more communication animals do not seem to always cry but they seem to desplay things sometimes which show they are grieved or upset but do not cry. It is possible it is more that crying in humans signals the same things but is the human version of it rather than the animals crying like us. So it tuaght me some interesting things perhaps about crying in humans. I could be wrong. If crying is moree communication which I do think it is regardless of how it effects people emotionally perhaps people not doing so just stops the communication.

[@InfectedChris]

Just put on the ending of Toy Story 3 and I'll be crying in no time.

[@caryeckland3038]

I'm surprised SciShow Psych didn't mention the connection of crying and Emotional Pain Addiction. I know emotional pain addiction is a rarely studied thing but I believe it exists. EPA is sorta like self-cutting but in a mental way. You end up doing things that make you cry like forecasting/fortune-telling bad things, watching animals or people in distress. Anything nonphysical and solitary that will provoke those tears to flow. Took me years to realize some of what I did to myself was to provoke this response. I feel this might be prevalent in some vets with PTSD. You Scishow guys may not see this comment but if you do, you should look into emotional pain addiction.

[@hachikaizen]

sometimes when i feel overwhelmed i start crying but later it actually feels so good but then sometimes when i feel overwhelmed i get the urge to cry but my body tries hard to make me stop crying which makes things harder but i feel like by crying im letting it all out but then again sometimes its worse its kinda confusing tbh

[@Amylovescats]

I would have expected some kind of vagus nerve relationship; like crying/breathing inducing relaxation and slowed heart rate post-cry.

[@vanessab.6682]

I was crying watching what would you do (the show). If I cry too much, I end up with a really bad headache and really sleepy.

[@jesipohl6717]

critical af, good job guys!

[@mirsch594]

Here watching after a really good cry

[@sbomorse]

Babies crying can be really irritating. I understand them crying because they're hungry etc but because they're tired!? What is the biological need for that??? If they're tired they can fall asleep without help from anyone else (unlike being fed or changed etc)

[@Nimish204]

Usually, they just want attention

[@Heothbremel]

I cry relatively frequently (more as I've gotten earlier), but when i do i basically seem to have an allergic reaction to my tears. I have no idea why, and it happens every time and lasts through the next day sometimes if I don't flush my eyes with saline after. Anyone else? Its been peculiar and the answer "oh, that just happens sometimes" is not a particularly useful one..... We joke that I'm allergic to my emotions but like. I feel like that's probably not the answer either (?)

[@evilsharkey8954]

What about crying from anger or frustration? I’m an angry crier, and it never makes me feel better. I feel like I’m not being taken seriously, like I seem like an emotional fool, and I’ve lost control. I hate not being in control of my own mind! Then my face is all messed up for an hour, at least, and my upper eyelids are even puffy the next day! There’s nothing about angry crying that feels good or improves the interaction with the other person, so I don’t know why I do it, and I’m not the only one.

[@lacedhexes]

I'm feeling some kind of deja vu, like you've made this video before.

[@GallantDrop1196]

I do not feel better when i cry. I like to workout or do hw when i want to cry i hold it in so i get energy and strength boost. If i cry, i feel very tired weak and wasted it does NOT make me feel better

[@kylevasquez8]

I never disliked not crying much until I developed chronic pancreatitis. Now, every time I have to go to the hospital I’m in crying pain but unable to cry and unwilling to fake it. Makes it 10X to get a Dr. who will listen until tests comeback and then I’m like.. Ya I wasn’t joking. But I see someone in pain, starving people/animals and I can’t stop myself from crying. Why?!