An Emotions Beat episode about why we cry — and what other people are supposed to do about it.

After Yowei got laid off, she cried a lot. In bathrooms, at conferences, at birthday parties, and in moments when she desperately did not want to cry in front of other people.

So what is actually happening in that moment — when your eyes burn, your throat tightens, and your body starts sending a signal you did not approve?

In this episode, Yowei talks with poet Heather Christle, author of The Crying Book, about what emotional tears communicate, why crying in front of one person can feel so different from crying in front of a group, and what to do when someone starts crying in front of you. 

From the episode:

— Heather Christle —  author of The Crying Bookand In the Rhododendrums: A Memoir with Appearances by Virginia Wolf— @heatherchristle on X and Instagram

— The Thai Life Insurance commercial from our crying experiment

New to Proxy? Try Bisexual Wife Guy for a classic case, or How to Cope with Now for another emotions beat episode about what happens when your inner experience becomes hard to explain.

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