We were all born with empathy and the ability to embrace and express all our emotions fully. As a grown up adult we all hesitate to cry out loud to our heart’s content. But, studies show that people who cry are mentally stronger.
We all used to cry and laugh without any refrain when we were babies. But as we grew up; we learned to hold back our tears and express only those emotions that were labelled as “good” because we were fed a lot of misconceptions around crying.
Let me take you back in time.
What are your earliest memories of what you were taught about crying? (Just play along with me here).
Was it…
“Baby, please don’t cry, momma loves you.”
“Good babies don’t cry.”
“Men don’t cry.”
Yeah, you got the drill, right?
It’s time to fuck that shit and break those myths once and for all.
There is a lot of scientific research that proves that people who cry are mentally stronger and healthier than people who don’t. Yeah, you read that right.
Let’s find out how crying makes us healthier and smarter:
1). Crying reduces stress
William H. Frey, Ph.D. and director of the Psychiatry Research Laboratories at the St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Centre conducted a study where he made the participants cry by showing them sad movies.
The results showed that people felt a lot better after the experiment because crying released stress hormones and toxins from their bodies.
Our emotional tears contain stress hormone called adrenocorticotropic (ACTH) which triggers high cortisol levels in the body.
Crying flushes out ACTH from the body making us feel calmer and relaxed.
You gotta love the wisdom of the human body.
Read The Science of Crying: Why It Is Healthy & Necessary For Personal Growth
2) Crying actually improves our mood
Tears contain Manganese and other proteins that are stress-related hormones.
When we are stressed the manganese levels in our bodies go up leading to mood disturbances and nervousness. Crying releases manganese and other stress-related hormones and alleviates our mood instantly.
Crying also produces Endorphins -our body’s natural painkiller and feel-good chemical.
The same chemical is released during other activities like exercising.
That is why a hearty session of crying leaves us feeling refreshed and energized.
3) It helps to foster deeper intimacy.
In this age of social media we are wired to share only the good and shiny parts of ourselves, therefore our relationships are becoming increasingly superfluous and lack any deeper intimacy.
If we want to have any real shot at having authentic and intimate relationships, we have to embrace vulnerability.
The best of friendships and relationships that I have today were formed and deepened during the moments of vulnerability when I let my guard down and let others see the vulnerable and real side of me.
Being vulnerable shows your authenticity. Go ahead, give it a shot.
Let others see the real and vulnerable side of you. The deeper intimate bonds that will get created post that will just amaze you.
Read 7 Scientific Facts About Crying
4) It helps you to release pent-up feelings.
Research proves that long-suppressed emotions can manifest as physical ailments like migraines, arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, heart palpitations or anxiety and panic disorders.
Crying helps us to purge our pent-up feelings and allows a positive release for all our suppressed emotions.
Crying activates the Parasympathetic nervous system that signals our breathing and heart rate to slow down. Therefore we feel much lighter and calmer after a hearty crying session.
5) It enhances creativity.
We tend to be either Left brain dominant or Right brain dominant in our thinking.
Left Brain Thinking is concrete and logical. If we are left brain dominant we tend to be more logical, analytical and linear in our thinking.
Right Brain Thinking is intuitive and abstract. If we are right brain dominant, we tend to be more intuitive, abstract, in touch with our emotions and creative in our thinking.
Crying helps us to get in touch with our emotions and activates right brain thinking which fosters our creativity.
6) It helps to deal with loss and overcome grief.
The number of people who are suffering from high functioning depression or anxiety is on an all-time high today because we have been conditioned to stay motivated and put up a brave face despite what we are feeling inside.
But there are moments in our lives like the death of a loved one or loss of any major kind that requires something called a”grieving or wallowing “period.
Read 7 Surprising Benefits of Hugging According To Science
It does not help to tone down the pain or suppress our emotions.
Do whatever it takes to feel the emotion. Cry your heart out, scream, wallow, and let the pain flow through you. People who cry are mentally stronger!!!
There is a very famous quote by Rumi that states, “Wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Honor the wound. It is the doorway to healing.
Cry. Release. Make space for the light to enter.
References:
- Hendriks, M.C., Nelson, J.K., Cornelius, R.R. and Vingerhoets, A.J., 2008. Why crying improves our well-being: An attachment-theory perspective on the functions of adult crying. In Emotion regulation (pp. 87-96). Springer, Boston, MA.
- Bylsma, L.M., Vingerhoets, A.J. and Rottenberg, J., 2008. When is crying cathartic? An international study. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 27(10), pp.1165-1187.
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