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USF Study Might Bring A Tear To Your Eye

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By RUSSELL RAY

rray@tampatrib.com

Published: December 28, 2008

TAMPA - Grab a Kleenex.

The widely held belief that a good cry is good for you has been harpooned by researchers at the University of South Florida.

After analyzing the accounts of more than 3,000 crying episodes, psychologists Jonathan Rottenberg and Lauren Bylsma found that crying isn't always beneficial.

Although a majority of the survey participants reported improvements in their mood after a crying spell, one-third reported no improvement in mood and one in 10 felt worse.

The effects of crying often are dictated by the circumstances, the study found. For example, those who are comforted by others after a crying spell are more apt to feel good afterward.

The study also found that people with depression or anxiety are least likely to feel better after a crying session.

"It may be that they have more difficulty in recruiting others to come to their side," Rottenberg told the BBC in an interview Dec.16. "They may be crying all by themselves."

Also, the researchers found that people who lack insight into their emotional lives typically feel worse after crying. The study suggests that these people lack the mental ability to turn a sad experience into something positive.
Rottenberg said the benefits of crying probably have been exaggerated.

"On surveys, people report, 'Crying brings me benefits,'" he said. "However, when you elicit crying in a laboratory, people who cry rarely report that their tears are providing them much in the way of mood benefits."

Reporter Russell Ray can be reached at (813) 259-7870.

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