Crying is an intrinsically human act. Only we, of all animals, are able to shed tears when we are sad, when we laugh a lot, when we want to hide something or draw attention to something or ourselves (the famous crocodile tears).
Incredibly, such a natural act—and one that is so integral to our humanity—is still seen by many people as a sign of human weakness. As they say, alpha males don’t cry. Of course there are already big changes regarding this, but they are slower than we might like. Just to give you an idea, until very recently, something like five years ago, 1 in 6 American men still thought it was unacceptable for another man to cry in public.
Because it is important to know that crying is good for mental health as well as physical health. Shedding tears—that is crying, a wet response to a variety of emotions—is an important drain valve for sensations. It has already been proven that the desire to keep it to yourself, suppressing it, can have an impact on health, including weakening the body’s defense system, and may also increase stress in the face of a situation in which to have tears as a response.
Read more: How can parents act to prevent and treat their children’s mental health problems?
Crying also causes the body to release substances that help relieve physical and emotional pain.
In addition, crying encourages closeness and empathy. More than the tears we shed when something touches us, it is this supportive response that comes from those around us that makes us feel better.
I feel this a lot in my office. Dealing with serious cases, it is not uncommon for my patients to cry, and for me to be emotional as well, and because of this, they feel welcomed by me, feeling encouraged to move forward with their treatments.
It is important to allow ourselves to cry when we feel the urge and around those we trust, however challenging this may seem to many people. Even if the only person you feel able to cry in front of is your doctor or therapist.
By the way, I even cry in TV commercials.
Arthur Guerra, MD, is a professor at the University of the South Pacific’s ABC School of Medicine and co-founder of the Caliandra Saúde Mental Foundation.
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