Crying is a reaction associated with an emotional state that could occur in a wide variety of contexts, which can include joy or fulfillment, as well as loss, failure, and sadness or any other feeling of sadness. negative nature. For all this, it is worth asking if it is normal to cry often.
To answer this, we assume that some people tend to cry more frequently than others and that crying is not a sign of weakness, since it is a completely natural human reaction. However, there are people who feel like they are crying more than usual and may wonder if they should worry about it and seek help.
In this article we will explain in more detail if it is normal to cry often and what could be the main reasons.
Before explaining whether it is normal to cry often, it is advisable that we see the reason why we usually do it and what the functions of this type of reaction could be, and that is that there are a variety of explanatory theories among which it is worth highlighting some as simple ones such as those that talk about crying being a reaction to pain caused by an external agent, and there are also other more complex theories that associate crying with different psychological and emotional phenomena, among others.
Besides, there are wide social and cultural differences that serve to explain the reason why some people tend to cry more frequently than others, and may even include differentiating factors such as gender.
It should be noted that crying is a complex process that develops through an innate physiological mechanism which is quite frequently associated fundamentally with the human being; although there are theories that claim that crying is also a characteristic process of other animal species. This process is admittedly quite complex, since we have learned over the years that this mechanism can serve to release tension on an emotional level (for example, when we cry out of anger, sadness or happiness).
This release allows us to express ourselves emotionally and also helps us reduce the energy levels invested due to some emotions that generate great tension or sadness.
On the other hand, there have also been theorists throughout history who have studied the functions of crying, including the American biochemist William H. Frey II, who observed that people usually felt better psychologically and emotionally after having cried due to because they have been able eliminate a series of hormones that are associated with stress (e.g., adrenocorticotropic hormone).
In the field of psychology, some studies carried out on the functions of crying have revealed a possible relationship with a person’s experience of feeling helpless in a certain situation. These theories could explain why some people tend to cry after receiving good news, since that person could feel powerless to influence those events that are happening in relation to that good news that makes them cry.
At a social level, crying can be related to socialization, since the act of crying can provoke empathy from other people and thanks to this they could provide the necessary support at that moment. Furthermore, infant crying is a mechanism and a means that promotes survival. For all this, one might wonder if it is normal to cry often given the wide number of functions that crying fulfills.
Is it really normal to cry often?
As we have seen previously, crying can fulfill several functions and in all of them we can find some common characteristic, which is some type of frustration, whether real, anticipated or prior, the perception of helplessness, an attempt at residence or surrender. facing frustration about something, among others. Thus, People tend to cry in a wide variety of situations and contexts
Since there is a wide variety of situations that people have to face throughout their lives that could affect them psychologically and generate the urge to cry, in turn this could trigger other symptoms such as avolition, anhedonia, apathy, fatigue, tendency to isolation, etc.
In this way, it is possible that the alarm signals take a while to arrive and the person may even begin to realize that something is not right at the moment when they begin to wonder if it is normal to cry often. This is when you should do introspection work and try to find out what the triggers could be since behind all this there could be a wide variety of problems like the ones we will see later, since the most common thing is that there is always a cause behind the urge to cry and, therefore, a person crying often could be a warning sign.
If you suspect that something is not right, perhaps it would be best to seek professional help, taking into account that a mental health professional can help us cope in a more adaptive way with various life circumstances or stressful situations. You can also start by seeking the support of a close and trusted person in order to try to start looking for solutions to address those problems that could be behind the reasons why a person feels like crying out loud. quite frequently.
On the other hand, there are studies in which it has been observed that those people who have scored high in the rest of neuroticism In personality tests they tend to have a greater predisposition to cry, although they also tend to laugh; An explanation could be the fact that these people have greater sensitivity to the most intense emotions and the process of crying often in certain situations should not be problematic. However, if a person cries often it should not be ignored and it would be advisable to look for reasons, since some serious problem could be behind it.
Possible causes of a person crying often
Although crying is a natural process, there are people who cry quite frequently to such an extent that they wonder if it is really normal to cry often. Therefore, in this type of situation it would be advisable to try to find the root, since these people could be suffering from a problem that requires the help of a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist.
1. Physical pain
One of the possible causes of a person crying quite frequently is physical pain, but In this case we are not referring to specific physical pain due to a small blow, but rather prolonged or chronic pain due to an illness, break, injury or sprain that can cause great suffering in those who suffer from it. Above all, when the disease that causes this prolonged pain is even disabling, it could cause the development of depression or any other problem associated with the mood.
2. Mood disorders
Another possible reason why a person might cry often is that they are suffering from a depressive episode, whether associated with major depression, bipolar disorder or any other circumstance. In these types of cases, usually the person usually loses motivation to do things that they used to do frequently before has difficulty feeling pleasure and could even eat poorly and suffer from sleeping problems.
For all this, and more reasons, it is quite common in these cases for people to feel desperation and hopelessness, which is why they can cry frequently.
3. Stress and anxiety
Problems related to anti-aging and stress are other reasons why a person may cry frequently, being cases in which a person usually finds themselves in a situation in which they perceive that the demands of certain situations that he is living on a day-to-day basis are beyond his capabilities. Thus, You could come to feel that you do not have enough resources to face these situations and you may experience the urge to cry continuously in order to find a way to vent and thus relieve yourself.
In relation to what we have just discussed, we could associate anger or the feeling of helplessness and injustice to the plain, as these are other reasons why a person might feel like crying. We can also associate empathy with crying, since many people may feel like crying when observing the pain and suffering of others.
4. A grieving process
When a person is going through a grieving process for the loss of a family member or any loved one you may feel very affected for a long period of time (e.g., for more than a year and even over several years), so the urge to cry frequently could be some of the symptoms. mechanisms present throughout that period.
If someone has been feeling like crying constantly lately, it is possible that some causes like the ones we have just explained are behind it, so it is important that you try to identify what it could be in your case and, if you consider that this is affecting you a lot, The best thing to do is to seek support from someone close to you and psychological help from a mental health professional who can help you.
