I, much like most people, I imagine, have conflicted feelings about crying. I’m not someone who cries often, and I very rarely cry because of pain or injury; rather, I tend to shed tears in an emotional sense, oftentimes when I’m feeling quite low, or even very angry.
I’ve come to realize, though, that the seldom occasions in which I do engage in a solid sob fest tend to result in me feeling lighter after the crying ceases. I almost feel as though I have purged the emotion, causing me to feel so upset after a good cry, and I know I am not the only one who experiences this.
I figured there was some scientific sustenance behind this experience, and I wanted to share the following information with all of you from health.harvard.edu.
“But is crying good for your health? The answer appears to be yes. Medical benefits of crying have been known as far back as the Classical era. Thinkers and physicians of ancient Greece and Rome posited that tears work like a purgative, draining off and purifying us. Today’s psychological thought largely concurs, emphasizing the role of crying as a mechanism that allows us to release stress and emotional pain.
“Crying is an important safety valve, largely because keeping difficult feelings inside — what psychologists call repressive coping — can be bad for our health. Studies have linked repressive coping with a less resilient immune system, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, as well as with mental health conditions, including stress, anxiety, and depression. Crying has also been shown to increase attachment behavior, encouraging closeness, empathy, and support from friends and family,” the web page states.
I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a good thing to cry constantly or daily by any means, but like the science suggests, there really are benefits to the act, so go ahead and cry about it, my friends.
Photo by Tom Pumford on Unsplash
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