Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-sxzjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T05:26:31.762Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social and psychological consequences of not crying: possible associations with psychopathology and therapeutic relevance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2017

Dale C. Hesdorffer ,
Ad J.J.M. Vingerhoets  and
Michael R. Trimble
Dale C. Hesdorffer*
Affiliation:
Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Ad J.J.M. Vingerhoets
Affiliation:
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Michael R. Trimble
Affiliation:
Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
*
*Address correspondence to: Dale C. Hesdorffer, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, P&S Unit 16, New York, New York 10032. (Email: dch5@cumc.columbia.edu)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective

Emotional crying is hypothesized to serve intra- and interpersonal functions. Intrapersonal functions are assumed to facilitate the capacity to recover from emotional distress, thus promoting well-being. Interpersonal functions are postulated to have a major impact on social functioning. We hypothesized that non-criers would have lower well-being and poorer social functioning than criers.

Methods

Study participants included 475 people who reportedly lost the capacity to cry and 179 “normal” control criers. Applied measures assessed crying, well-being, empathy, attachment, social support, and connection with others. Prevalence estimates of not crying by gender were obtained from a panel survey of 2,000 Dutch households.

Results

In the main survey, tearless cases had less connection with others, less empathy, and experienced less social support, but were equal in terms of well-being. They also reported being less moved by emotional stimuli and had a more avoidant and less anxious attachment style. In multivariate analyses, being male, having an avoidant attachment style, and lacking empathy were independent predictors of tearlessness. Some 46.1% felt that not being able to cry affected them negatively; however, despite these findings, only 2.9% had sought any kind of professional help. Loss of the capacity to cry occurred in 8.6% of the men and 6.5% of the women in the large panel survey.

Conclusions

Despite reduced empathy, less connection with others, and a more avoidant/less anxious attachment type, well-being is maintained in tearless people. Additional clinical and therapeutic investigations of tearlessness may lead to clarification of bidirectional associations between psychiatric disorders (e.g., alexithymia, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathy) and tearlessness.

Keywords

Cross-sectional studytearlessnesscryingwell-beingempathysocial functioningcase–control study
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 23 , Special Issue 6: Theme: Neuropsychiatry , December 2018 , pp. 414 - 422
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

The authors would like to thank the people who participated in our study. This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

References

1. Gračanin, A, Bylsma, LM, Vingerhoets, AJ. Is crying a self-soothing behavior? Front Psychol. 2014; 5: 502. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4035568/. Accessed January 26, 2017.Google Scholar
2. Vingerhoets, A, van de Ven, N, van de Velden, Y. The social impact of emotional tears. Motiv Emot. 2016; 40: 455–463. Epub ahead of print Feb 8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4882350/. Accessed January 26, 2017.Google Scholar
3. Bylsma, LM, Croon, MA, Vingerhoets, AJJM, Rottenberg, J. When and for whom does crying improve mood? A daily diary study of 1004 crying episodes. J Res Pers. 2011; 45(4): 385–392.Google Scholar
4. Frey, WH, Hoffman-Ahren, C, Johnson, RA, Lykken, DT, Tuason, VB. Crying behavior in the human adult. Integr Psychiatry. 1983; 1(3): 94–100.Google Scholar
5. Vingerhoets, AJJM, Bylsma, L. The riddle of human emotional crying: a challenge for emotion researchers. Emot Rev. 2015; 8(3): 1–11. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1754073915586226. Accessed January 26, 2017.Google Scholar
6. Vingerhoets, AJJM. Why Only Humans Weep: Unravelling the Mysteries of Tears . Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2013.Google Scholar
7. Rottenberg, J, Cevaal, A, Vingerhoets, AJ. Do mood disorders alter crying? A pilot investigation. Depress Anxiety. 2008; 25(5): E9–E15.Google Scholar
8. Vingerhoets, AJ, Rottenberg, J, Cevaal, A, Nelson, JK. Is there a relationship between depression and crying? A review. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2007; 115(5): 340–351.Google Scholar
9. Novak, B. Hitler and Abductive Logic: The Strategy of a Tyrant. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books; 2014.Google Scholar
10. Linton, SJ. A behavioral treatment for inability to express emotions. Scand J Behav Ther. 1985; 14(1): 33–38.Google Scholar
11. Toepoel, V, Das, M, van Soest, A. Effects of design in web surveys comparing trained and fresh respondents. Public Opin Q. 2008; 72(5): 985–1007.Google Scholar
12. Denckla, CA, Fiori, KL, Vingerhoets, AJ. Development of the Crying Proneness Scale: associations among crying proneness, empathy, attachment, and age. J Pers Assess. 2014; 96(6): 619–631. Epub ahead of print Apr 14.Google Scholar
13. Wei, MF, Russell, DW, Mallinckrodt, B, Vogel, DL. The experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR)–Short Form: reliability, validity, and factor structure. J Pers Assess. 2007; 88(2): 187–204. https://public.psych.iastate.edu/wei/manuscript/short%20form.pdf. Accessed January 26, 2017.Google Scholar
14. Nelson, JK. Clinical assessment of crying and crying inhibition based on attachment theory. Bull Menninger Clin. 2000; 64(4): 509–529.Google Scholar
15. Mehrabian, A, Epstein, N. Measure of emotional empathy. J Pers. 1972; 40(4): 525–543.Google Scholar
16. Bech, P, Olsen, LR, Kjoller, M, Rasmussen, NK. Measuring well-being rather than the absence of distress symptoms: a comparison of the SF–36 Mental Health subscale and the WHO–Five Well-Being Scale. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2003; 12(2): 85–91.Google Scholar
17. Zimet, GD, Dahlem, NW, Zimet, SG, Farley, GK. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. J Pers Assess. 1988; 52(1): 30–41.Google Scholar
18. Aron, A, Aron, EN, Smollan, D. Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1992; 63(4): 596–612.Google Scholar
19. Beck, AT, Beck, RW. Screening depressed patients in family practice: rapid technique. Postgrad Med. 1972; 52(6): 81–85.Google Scholar
20. van der Veen, FM, Jorritsma, J, Krijger, C, Vingerhoets, AJ. Paroxetine reduces crying in young women watching emotional movies. Psychopharmacology. 2012; 220(2): 303–308. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3285754/. Accessed January 27, 2017.Google Scholar
21. van Leeuwen, N, Bossema, ER, Vermeer, RR, et al. Crying without tears: dimensions of crying and relations with ocular dryness and mental well-being in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. J Clin Psych Med Settings. 2016; 23(1): 77–87.Google Scholar
22. Davis, D, Lamberti, J, Ajans, ZA. Crying in depression. Br J Psychiatry. 1969; 115(522): 597–598.Google Scholar
23. Steer, RA. Self-reported inability to cry as a symptom of anhedonic depression in outpatients with a major depressive disorder. Psychol Rep. 2011; 108(3): 874–882.Google Scholar
24. Benecke, C, Cierpka, M, Kast, V. Lachen, um nicht zu weinen [in German]. Psychotherapeutische. 2009; 54: 120–129. http://www.zentrum-psychische-gesundheit.at/artikel/Lachen%20und%20Weinen.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2017.Google Scholar
25. Provine, RR, Krosnowski, KA, Bricatim, BW. Tearing: breakthrough in human emotional signaling. Evol Psych. 2009; 7(1): 52–56. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/147470490900700107. Accessed January 27, 2017.Google Scholar
26. Keller, MC, Nesse, RM. The evolutionary significance of depressive symptoms: different adverse situations lead to different depressive symptom patterns. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2006; 91(2): 316–330.Google Scholar
27. Cornelius, RR. Prescience in the pre-scientific study of weeping? A history of weeping in the popular press from the mid-1800’s to the present. Paper presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, New York, New York; April 1986.Google Scholar
28. Vingerhoets, AJ, Bylsma, LM. Crying and health: popular and scientific conceptions. Psychol Top. 2007; 16(2): 275–296.Google Scholar
29. Hare, RD, Neumann, CS. Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annu Rev Clin Psychol. 2008; 4: 217–246.Google Scholar
30. Eichhorn, S, Brahler, E, Franz, M, Friedrich, M, Glaesmer, H. Traumatic experiences, alexithymia, and posttraumatic symptomatology: a cross-sectional population-based study in Germany. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2014; 5: 1–10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4149745/pdf/EJPT-5-23870.pdf. Accessed January 27, 2017.Google Scholar
31. Vingerhoets, AJJM, van den Berg, MP, Kortekaas, RTJ, Van Heck, GL, Croon, MA. Weeping: associations with personality, coping, and subjective health status. Pers Individ Dif. 1993; 14(1): 185–190.Google Scholar