Podcast Summary
The Importance of Emotional Vulnerability: Embracing emotional vulnerability can lead to significant discoveries and personal growth. Reflecting on personal experiences can help evoke emotions and foster emotional intelligence.
Embracing vulnerability and personal growth can lead to significant discoveries and transformations. Apple Card offers daily cashback and savings opportunities, while State Farm Small Business Insurance caters to the unique needs of small business owners. In a profound moment during his seminary studies, Benjamin Perry recognized the importance of emotional intelligence and the ability to express emotions, particularly after realizing he hadn't cried in over a decade. In an attempt to reconnect with this emotion, he embarked on a personal experiment to make himself cry every day. Despite initial attempts with books and YouTube videos failing to evoke tears, he eventually found success by reflecting on personal experiences, such as the thought of losing his parents. This experience taught him the value of emotional vulnerability and the impact it can have on personal and professional growth.
The Purpose of Emotional Tears: A Mystery: Despite ongoing research, the true function of emotional tears remains unclear, but many believe it may release stress hormones and improve mood.
Crying, those mysterious emotional tears, are a unique human response that has been the subject of much research. Manning Nguyen's emotional experience of weeping led him to question the purpose of emotional tears. Researchers like Ad Vingerhoets have been intrigued by this question since Darwin suggested emotional tears don't serve a function. Some theories suggest that crying acts as a detox, releasing stress hormones and producing endorphins or oxytocin. However, recent studies have not found concrete evidence to support these claims. Despite this, many people report feeling better after crying. The true function of emotional tears remains a mystery, but the study of crying contributes to our understanding of human nature.
Crying as a way to connect with others: Crying signals for emotional support, activates empathy, and strengthens relationships. However, response from others is crucial for emotional benefit.
Crying is not just an individual emotional experience, but also a powerful way to connect with others. A study involving over 5,000 participants found that people are more likely to report feeling better after crying in situations where the outcome is still uncertain and controllable. Crying acts as a signal for emotional support, activating mirror neurons in the brain that help us understand and empathize with others. However, the response from others is crucial in determining the emotional benefit of crying. If someone feels ashamed or embarrassed, they may not experience any benefit. From infancy to adulthood, crying serves as a means of seeking support and connection. It's a unique advantage that humans have, as we are vulnerable for longer periods than other animals, and tearful crying can help us get the necessary support without attracting predators. As we grow older, crying for empathic reasons becomes increasingly important.
The Power of Crying: Connecting with Ourselves and Others: Crying is a human experience that connects us to emotions, authenticity, and others. It's not just a response to pain but can be triggered by beauty and joy.
Crying is a deeply human experience that connects us to ourselves and others. Benjamin, the minister who tried to cry every day, discovered that crying was not just a response to pain but a multifaceted emotion that could be triggered by beauty and joy. Through crying, he felt more authentic and able to connect with people in meaningful ways. However, despite the profound impact of crying on our emotional lives, there is still much to learn about the science behind tears, including what happens in the brain and how crying affects us over time. While we may not fully understand the why or how, crying seems to be a fundamental part of who we are. If we don't cry, we may be missing out on an essential aspect of our humanity.
Impact of Crying on Social Situations and Relationships: While not crying doesn't affect individual well-being, it can negatively impact social connections and relationships as others may perceive a lack of emotional expression negatively. Emotional suppression for an extended period could lead to living with a 'brake on'.
Not crying isn't necessarily a problem for an individual's well-being, but it could be an issue in social situations and relationships. A study conducted by researcher Ed Adler found no difference in well-being between individuals who hadn't cried for years and normal criers. However, normal criers were found to be more empathic and connected with others, receiving more social support. The woman in the study mentioned that while she didn't see a problem with not crying, others perceived her lack of emotional expression negatively. The frequency and timing of crying are influenced by various factors, and individuals have to decide if their crying habits impact their lives negatively. However, suppressing emotions for an extended period could lead to emotional suppression and living with a "brake on," as Benjamin, the minister, experienced when he realized he hadn't cried in over a decade due to societal pressures and internalized shame.
Suppressing emotions can hinder growth and connections: Embracing emotions, including crying, leads to transformative experiences and deeper relationships
Suppressing emotions, particularly crying, can limit personal growth and hinder the formation of deep connections with others. The societal stigma surrounding masculinity and crying, which can lead men to repress their emotions, can be detrimental. However, embracing and expressing emotions, including crying, can lead to transformative experiences. These moments of vulnerability can create opportunities for authentic relationships and allow individuals to reconnect with their true selves. The disruptive nature of tears, despite their messiness and discomfort, can provide permission for others to acknowledge and address their own emotions. By honoring the fullness of a person's emotional experience, we can foster a more compassionate and connected community.
Exploring the importance of acknowledging emotions through crying: Acknowledging someone's suffering, even if it disrupts peace, is important and can lead to deeper understanding and connection. Listen to Unexplainable for insights on crying and the emotional and physical aspects of this natural response.
Acknowledging and honoring someone's suffering, even if it disrupts peace, invites us to do something different. This was explored in the latest episode of Unexplainable, which delved into the emotional and physical aspects of crying. Produced by Manning Nguyen, the episode featured editing from Brian Resnick, Catherine Wells, Meredith Hodnaught, and Noam Hassenfeld, mixing and sound design from Christian Ayala, music from Noam, fact checking from Zoe Malik, and a special mention of Neil Denasha's space dreams. The episode also featured an interview with Benjamin, who shared his insights on crying and the importance of acknowledging emotions. Listeners can look forward to Benjamin's upcoming book, "Cry Baby," for more on this topic. The episode concluded with a mysterious cliffhanger involving Bird Pinkerton and a plaque. If you have thoughts or ideas for the show, feel free to email unexplainable@vox.com. Unexplainable is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network and will return next week.
