You might think that a good cry will help you blow off steam and make you feel better. But new research shows that it’s not that simple.
Scientists in Austria tracked 315 real-life crying events to find out what triggers tears and the emotions that follow.
More than 100 adults used a smartphone app to record how they felt after crying and 15, 30 and 60 minutes later.
They also noted what brought them to tears and how long and hard they cried.
The results? Crying usually did not bring immediate relief. In fact, many people felt worse after the tears stopped.
What really mattered why they were crying. Tears caused by stress, loneliness, or feelings of sadness were associated with more negative emotions.
But crying over a moving movie or story? This often helped people feel better.
Women cried more and more intensely – often out of loneliness, while men cried more in response to helplessness or media content.
Any emotional impact—good or bad—will fade within hours.
The authors state, “Overall, there was no evidence of excessive crying per with helped people feel better than normal.”
Source: Cooperation: Psychology
Author affiliation: Karl Landsteiner University
