Unless you’re a complete, certifiable psychopath or otherwise totally heartless, you’ve almost certainly shed a tear over something you saw in a movie. Maybe it happens all the time or maybe only rarely. Perhaps it hasn’t happened since you were little. A lot of people are embarrassed about it, so shedding a tear at a movie is probably a whole lot more common than you might think. Indeed, it would seem that Hollywood is onto this. Some movies actively try to provoke an emotional response. In other cases it goes with the subject matter. Sometimes a movie just hits home for certain individuals.
But if you do sometimes cry during a movie, should you really be ashamed of it? Not at all! For one thing, crying can help relieve stress and tension and that’s good for your health. Moreover, studies have determined that people who cry at the movies are more caring, generous, empathetic, and emotionally intelligent. These people are more expressive and end up emotionally stronger. Not bad company to keep!
What studies have also found is that empathy is the key personality trait possessed by people who cry during movies. Empathy is what all kind and compassionate people have in abundance. They are great at understanding other people’s emotions, feelings, and motivations. In sharp contrast to self-obsessed narcissists or cold-blooded psychopaths, empathetic people are always alert to the needs and wants of others. In some cases, they can actually feel what another person is going through. And all this is why they’re prone to crying during movies.
The moral of the story is that the next time you feel tears starting to well up while you’re watching a movie, don’t hold them back. Embrace your empathy and let your own pent-up stress and emotion out.
Check out the video we’ve posted below to learn more about empathy and let us know what you think in the Facebook comments. Like and share so your friends see this, too!
