7 Benefits of Crying You Didn’t Know

Lisa Franchi July 20, 2015

Crying among children is pretty normal and is the most common way of expressing frustration, hurt, anger and many other negative emotions. But as we get older, crying becomes more of a rare, shameful act that we try to resist.

But crying is actually good for our mind, body and spirit. Below are some of the key benefits of crying that you probably didn’t know.

It makes you feel better.

You have probably experienced this before – you felt better after crying out all the hurt. In a study conducted by University of South Florida researchers in 2008, 96% of participants who cried during stressful situations reported a significant increase in their mood.

You release toxins.

Feeling stressed? Cry it out. Crying is one of our body’s mechanisms to get rid of cortisol – the stress hormone that has so many health consequences. Chronically high levels of the hormone can result to varying health issues, such as poor immunity, sleep problem, and weight gain. Researchers from Paul-Ramsey Medical Centre, headed by Dr William H. Frey II, found that stress-related tears and tears caused by physical irritants (like chopping an onion) are not one and the same. According to him, tears that are provoked by stress help your body rid itself of nasty chemicals that raise cortisol so you end up feeling lighter afterwards.

Crying benefits your overall health.

Crying is known to produce an array of health benefits, from improved mood to lowered stress levels and clearer vision. Allowing the tears to fall during stressful moments also helps you combat various health problems like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure.

It boosts communication between two people.

If someone close to you cries, you instantly know that something is wrong. A person may be good at pretending that he or she is fine. But crying makes it clear that the person is going through a tough moment. Crying allows us to say things that we cannot easily express in words. Furthermore, it strengthens the connection between people.

It makes moving on easier.

Often, we choose to conceal our feelings and ignore the undesirable emotions we experience. But it doesn’t leave us feeling better, but worse. By crying out and confronting your feelings, you can easily move forward into a better future.

Crying helps you deal with grief.

Losing a friend, partner, family member, or pet is one of the worst things that can happen to anyone’s life. And in situations like this, nothing and no one seems to give us comfort. And sometimes, the only thing that makes us feel better is crying the pain and longing out.

It takes courage to cry.

Many people think that crying is a sign of weakness. But actually, it takes courage to cry that to resist the tears. Tears are not a symbol of weakness. They are messengers of overwhelming emotions that some people are too afraid to show the world.