Why is crying at a movie a sign of mental strength?

Art has the power to provoke emotions.

Who didn't cry when Mufasa died in the lion king ? or Jack's in Titanic (even though we all know there was room for two on that damn board…)

Or even faced with the death of Jean Dujardin's character in The Little Handkerchiefs ? (Well for me anyway, it always gives me the same emotion every time I see it)

We often tend to believe that this is a sign of weakness.

On the contrary !

Indeed, a neuroscience study by researcher Paul J Zak, published in the " Psychology Today » would prove that people who cry while watching movies are emotionally stronger.

And this is for several factors.

• You have the ability to put yourself in the characters' shoes, to feel the same emotions as them.

• You worry about others and that takes a lot of energy.

• You are stronger to face everyday life and better manage your emotions.

• You are not afraid to express what you feel.

• You don't run away from your feelings

• You have better emotional stability

This then gives you qualities like altruism, empathy and generosity so why stop yourself!

You may know that it's fiction, but you always get fooled, letting yourself get totally carried away, your emotions overtaking reality.

According to Jennifer Barnes, "Our brains are not designed to differentiate between a real and a fictional relationship."

OXYTOCIN, RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR CRYING

Another scientific fact to explain this reaction: oxytocin.

The latter is the hormone of attachment and empathy.

So a moving scene triggers a spike in oxytocin in the blood.

So crying is a sign that you are endowed with emotional intelligence, for this ability to put yourself in the place of the characters as I said above.

On the contrary, people who feel no emotion when faced with a beautiful scene or a sad moment tend to be selfish and narcissistic.

TEARS OF MEMORY

There are also so-called tears of memory.

A similar situation experienced, and the memory often takes over and causes great emotion

This allows you to release this excess of emotions, so it's actually quite healthy in the end.

For example: a funeral, a similar breakup

Finally, I'm not telling you anything new, but crying also helps relieve stress. Otherwise you hold everything in, and internalizing it doesn't do any good.

Despite this, society still sends the message that crying is a sign of weakness, especially for men.

We still hide and cry today, out of shame.

Are you one of those people who quickly dry their eyes once the lights come back on at the cinema, with mascara still stuck to your cheeks?

So let yourself go and never hide to cry again

And at the next movie, get ready, in addition to your glass of wine, the box of tissues and go, open the floodgates and let them flow!

And you, what movie made you cry recently?