Although surveys show that men do tend to cry more than women, that disparity disappears when you examine cultures in which crying is not considered taboo. Humans are unique in that we cry and have intense emotional reactions to symbolic events and not just mechanically as a response to an irritant. We discuss how the lacrimal system excretes (fun word) tears and how and why we cry. Although we don't recommend you try to resist crying unless your safety depends on it, we do review some strategies to hold back those tears. But let's all agree that people should feel safe to experience and express their emotions. Power to the criers!

Links for Today:

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Nb1f9MpgO8IC&oi=fnd&pg=PA13&dq=resist+crying&ots=P1VLr5-UEB&sig=yFajNjKAUUf049e5UJIeU7lPwzU#v=onepage&q=resist%20crying&f=false (book on the cultural relevance and history of crying)

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-23505-001 (Study on football players and their perception of crying)

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-6494.694156 (Study evaluating motivation for seeking or avoiding emotional situations)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40604147?seq=1 (Study on managing emotions in the workplace)

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886920303639 (Study exploring a measure for evaluating motives in emotional expression)

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2014/02/cry (Cultural and biological reasons for crying. As well as people who can’t cry)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/he-speaks-she-speaks/201101/the-crying-game (A somewhat overly gendered article with some valid points on the differences in crying across genders)

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaba.361 (Peer-reviewed study indicating that distraction can increase tolerance for crying)

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jaba.4 (Peer-reviewed article on a Functional Assessment of crying)

https://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/it-bad-your-health-try-not-cry (Blog on why it might be bad to avoid crying)

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-crying#how-to-stop-crying (Strategies to avoid crying)

We are on Reddit! https://www.reddit.com/user/WhyWeDoWhatWeDo

Recommendations:

Abraham: Palm Springs (https://www.hulu.com/movie/palm-springs-f70dfd4d-dbfb-46b8-abb3-136c841bba11)

Shane: Park Ave CDs in Orlando (https://parkavecds.com/)

You can reach us directly at 775.525.0908, at [email protected], through the comments below OR on social via @wwdwwdpodcast or #wwdwwdpodcast.

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