What Makes Women Cry?
Posted by: Wendy Atterberry
Filed in:
news
10:40AM, Wednesday August 12th 2009
Men may spend an average of 43 minutes a day — roughly a year of their lives — ogling women, but a new study has found that women spend six months more than that crying! Researchers found that “between birth and the age of 78 a woman will cry for more than 12,000 hours,” or roughly 16 months of her life. The study cites “hunger as a baby to falling out with a partner when older” as reasons for the tears. When I got an accidental mullet a few years back, I cried for three months straight.
Not unsurprisingly, we cry the most as babies (about three hours a day), but teen girls manage to squeeze out the tears for two hours and 13 minutes a week. The number increases for young women in their 20s, who cry about 2.24 hours a week. The poll of 3,000 people shows the reasons for all these tears change dramatically over a woman’s lifetime.
TOP 5 UPSETS AGE 0-1
1. Hunger
2. Tiredness
3. Only form of communication
4. Discomfort due to wet/full nappy
5. Feeling ill
TOP 5 UPSETS AGE 1-3
1. Hurting themselves
2. Tiredness
3. Falling over
4. Wanting something
5. Being told off for being naughty
TOP 5 UPSETS AGE 4-12
1. Being told off for being naughty
2. Hurting themselves
3. Tiredness
4. Feeling ill
5. Falling out with a friend
TOP 5 UPSETS AGE 13-18
1. Hormones
2. Arguing with friends
3. Being dumped
4. Being grounded
5. People being horrible
TOP 5 UPSETS 19-25
1. A soppy film
2. Being dumped
3. Losing a loved one
4. Indecision about a long-term relationship
5. Having a baby
TOP 5 UPSETS 26+
1. A soppy film
2. Falling out with a partner
3. Losing a loved one
4. Feeling tired
5. Hearing someone else’s bad news
I don’t know about you, but, at 32, I’m still crying about “people being horrible.” And where’s PMS on the list? Or airport goodbyes? Or tax season? And am I the only one who loses it at weddings? Where are the happy tears on the list, huh?!
TheFrisky.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network
Keesh Mia
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 09:42 am: [report]
How about extreme happiness? Like the girls that cried when they won the spelling bee and when they win the beauty pageant
writergirl
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 09:48 am: [report]
Where is crying over commercials on the list? That Robert Di Nero AmEX add used to KILL me. I’d cry for a good half hour when I saw that.
Kathls
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 09:58 am: [report]
accidental mullet ... i feel your pain and shame. Thankfully that was a very brief period of time. Nothing worse than looking mullet-y
GreenAura
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:15 am: [report]
I am a water sign (Scorpio) and being born in ‘82 makes me a Water Dog according to Chinese astrology. And I’m female. So I have like 3 strikes against me when it comes to crying. I tear up at everything!! I sobbed during the remake of King Kong, seriously. And I have never seen the Notebook out of fear that I would never recover. One time, I came home and my hubby had bought a new shower curtain because I had complained about our old one and I bawled over how thoughtful he was. Kleenex is always in stock at my house!
lostrun
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:16 am: [report]
Sorry to hear about the accidental mullet..bad hair cuts can and will make a girl cry. The list is missing crying from PMS, people being horrible, and me personally, i cry in anger. i don’t know why, but when i’m extremely angry, i cry.
ladyparts
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:19 am: [report]
Green Aura, I have the same sign + birth year as you and I am a waterworks factory. It actually just gets worse as I get older. I saw two homeless people hugging each other hello on the subway last week and I teared up because I thought it was a poignant moment. My friends think I am embarrassing.
Netty
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:47 am: [report]
I cry when I am extremely angry too. If I can’t break anything or punch something I’ll just sit down and sob.
writergirl
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:48 am: [report]
@GreenAura—I’m the same sign, just ten years older
The Notebook wasn’t bad as a movie. But the book had me bawling through the whole thing.
Oh, yeah, where’s crying over books? My husband thinks I am certifiable.
MarieMacCee
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:53 am: [report]
i’m so glad i’m not alone-I wouldn’t consider myself much of a crier but lately the waterworks have been ON, and for the weirdest reasons. I cried during the Kentucky Derby because I was “just so moved by the horse’s majesty.”
My boyfriend moved to another couch.
impoddity
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:26 am: [report]
I’m really not a big crier. I’d rather write down the injustices I encounter daily. Or go for a killer workout. I sweat out the emotional pain!!
alliecat
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:31 am: [report]
Green Aura, I’m also a Scorpio, born in ‘82, so I know EXACTLY what you mean! My mom was a crier too, so I wonder if genetics could play a part in it? I’m still afraid to see the Notebook - I might consider watching it when I have a boyfriend or husband to watch it with. I don’t think I could handle it alone.
I once cried over an episode of Grey’s Anatomy because in the opening scene, a construction worker falls on a pigeon eating a bagel… Yes, I cried for the pigeon. In my defense, I’m a bird lover and I have birds of my own, and I was PMSing pretty heavily that night, but still. I cried over a fictional pigeon because he was just trying to eat a bagel… and I’m getting misty-eyed thinking about it now! lol
In my opinion, I cry a lot. I lost my mom almost 7 years ago and 99% of the time, I’m okay. There’s always that one percent of the time I’ll be doing something routine, mundane, nothing that would be considered a trigger, and it hits me like a ton of bricks and suddenly I’m breaking down the way I did in the first nightmare of a year after she passed away.
I’m also a crier when I’m extremely happy, and when I’m REALLY angry… come to think of it, just like my mom.
H. Blue
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:31 am: [report]
I cry when I’m angry.. and I have nearly burst into tears while sweating out the emotional pain.. it’s embarassing. No wonder I don’t have a boyfriend. :p
bumbler
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:37 am: [report]
BluenBlonde I am the exact same way. When I get really angry the tears start coming. Awkwardest moment was at work with a really difficult customer. Thankfully it was over the phone so once I hung up I hightailed it to the bathroom and tried to get it under control. I worked with mostly men at the time so I was worried they would think I was weak or unprofessional. No one really understands when I explain that my feelings aren’t hurt, I want to punch the walls!
writergirl
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 11:40 am: [report]
I don’t cry over actual occurances. Didn’t cry when I gave birth. Rarely cry when someone I know dies. I don’t cry when I am angry or happy.
I cry over books, movies and commercials.
Claireific
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 12:02 pm: [report]
LOL @MarieMacCee!
I used to work as a vet nurse and I’d cry during every single euthanasia I worked on and cried plenty with some of the animal abuse cases brought to us by the local animal shelter. I loved that job but boy did I cry a lot.
bogart4017
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 12:16 pm: [report]
The only time my wife cries is when i cry. Boy, thats really funny.
CaleeKay
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 12:26 pm: [report]
Guys just dont understand. My boyfriend has finally come to terms with my crying, but im sure it still boggles him why i cry when im stressed, mad, happy, see someone else cry, commercials with sad songs, memories, and the biggest one - pms, even when nothing at all has happened. (and of course this list)
I just wish they understood that we cant help our hormones, cuz boy do i wish i could hold it in instead of ruining the makeup i just put on. agh.
99girl
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 02:15 pm: [report]
I too cry over movies and books all the time. I cry over anything remotely sentimental. My kids know the parts in movies that make me cry, and they’ll stare at me, waiting to see me tear up. After all this time, I don’t care anymore. I used to be embarrassed.
Oh, I also cry rivers at plays and Broadway shows. Any stage show, really. NO IDEA why.
Someone mentioned The Notebook. A former co-worker told me I’d love that movie, but I told her I cannot make myself watch it for fear of never stopping the crying.
Final thought ... I only began noticing PMS about a year ago ... I am 34. That makes me cry too.
Coral
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 09:39 pm: [report]
Except for the having a baby part, I think the top 5 upsets for 19-25 also occur in the 13-18 age group. Or maybe that’s just me?
mayorbubbles
wrote on August 12 2009 @ 10:31 pm: [report]
@99girl
hahahahaha!!! me and my sister do the same thing with our mom
saysay
wrote on August 18 2009 @ 10:48 pm: [report]
I cry when someone sings really well on American Idol… is that weird? lol
*sam*
wrote on August 18 2009 @ 11:10 pm: [report]
I cry a lot (well, a lot for me anyway, from what I’ve read on this thread, I can’t even BEGIN to touch some of you!!! lol) now that I’m on BC… I hate it. I used to be able to watch sappy movies all day w/o even shedding a tear… now, I’m crying at commercials and hallmark cards. although, I did cry (no, I bawled ) at the end of “A Prayer for Owen Meany” before I started the hormones… still the saddest book I’ve ever read.
amylou
wrote on September 1 2009 @ 12:31 pm: [report]
There used to be an anti-potsmoking ad on tv where a kid forgot to have lunch with his grandmother because he got hiiiigh and forgot… it got me every time.