Tears Are Not So Cathartic After All

Do your emotions ever overflow to the point that you know a “good cry” is inevitable? This happens to me regularly. I usually welcome the tears because conventional knowledge is that crying is cathartic. But sometimes I end up feeling worse than I did before. At least I’m not alone.

Tears accompany a myriad of human emotions—sadness, happiness, anger, nervousness, etc., and sometimes, a “good cry” is the only way to regain mental balance when your emotions are out of whack. But some researchers say that linking crying with emotional cleansing is misleading because not everyone feels better after every cry. Those, like me, who place a high expectation on a tearful breakdown often experience emotional confusion afterward.

So the next time I feel like crying, I’m just going to veg out on chocolate, watch a funny flick, and cuddle my cats, instead. [New York Times]