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Practically everyone has teared up while watching a movie. Unless you’re a certified psychopath or completely heartless, the chances are extremely high that you’ve shed a tear because of something you saw in a movie. For some people this is embarrassing and they won’t admit it, but whether it happens all the time, on rare occasions, or once way back when they were young, it’s all but inevitable and guaranteed to happen.
Hollywood loves a good tearjerker and many films actively try to get an emotional response from you, they want and are designed to make you cry. At the same time, some movies are simply sad because of the events and subject matter they cover or they just hit close to home. If a movie can move people enough to bring them to tears, then it has done its job and is considered a success.
Regardless of the movie industry’s motivations and whatever the reason may be as to why you’ve cried at the movies, you should never be ashamed or embarrassed to admit to it. While the social majority view seems to be that crying is a sign of weakness, the exact opposite is actually true.
People who cry in movies have been found to be more caring, generous, emotionally intelligent, and empathetic than their counterparts who rarely, if ever, cry. All these traits make them more expressive and emotionally stronger. Not only that, crying also helps to release stress and tension, making criers healthier and happier overall.
However, above all else, the key personality trait that researchers identified in people who cry during movies is empathy. It’s what all kind and compassionate people have within them. Those who are empathetic are very sensitive souls as they’re connected to other people’s emotions, motivations, energy, and feelings. Unlike selfish narcissists or stone cold psychopaths, empaths always take into consideration the needs and desires of others. Sometimes they even take on other people’s emotions, to the point that they literally can feel what another person is going through, which is part of why they cry so easily when watching sad movies!
The next time you’re watching a film and you find that your eyes are starting to well up, don’t fight the tears. Instead, let them flow and release all the pent up stress and emotions along with them, because after it’s all said and done, you’ll feel much better off!
Check out the video below for a beautiful portrayal of empathy:
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