I was reading an article the other day which discussed a study in which woman were monitored to see if crying actually helped lighten their mood. It basically states that out of 97 woman who kept diaries to monitor their feelings and when they cried, 1004 crying moments were recorded. Out of these, only 1/3 resulted in an improved mood.
It goes on to state that social networking is the way to feel better and that crying is only more likely to make you feel better if another person is there. Why? Well, he believes it is because they give you support and make other people focus on your problems. The good old shoulder to cry on eh?
So what this study recommends is to cry, in the presence of another person to feel better or just not to cry at all. Why not more than one? Rottenberg believes that this could spark feelings of shame.We wouldn't want that now, would we?
First of all, before I give my opinion on whether crying helps, I must draw attention to the 97 woman group. Surely this is not the best number in order to generalise results? I personally believe that crying does help you feel better. Maybe only short term but I view it as being needed to rebalance myself and get all the sadness out. In the words of Conor Oberst:
"Your eyes must do some raining if you're ever gonna grow..."
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I suppose it didn't help Alice too much...she nearly got her head cut off. |
Does crying make you feel better or do you have another go to strategy?