Social scientists know that we tend to have a prejudice against those who cry during movies. Our tendency is to see people who cry as being emotionally weak.
Rarely is crying during movies interpreted as being mentally tough, but if we can set our negative stereotypes aside, we can see how emotional outpourings like crying can help us socially to connect to others by helping them see how well we relate to their emotions.
WHY CRYING DURING MOVIES ACTUALLY MEANS YOU’RE MENTALLY TOUGH
CRYING DURING MOVIES MEANS YOU HAVE THE SKILLS OF AN EMPATH.
Empathy is a skill that allows you to understand how someone else must be feeling based on what you either know about the situation they are experiencing or by their observable behavior.
The character Commander Deanna Troi on the TV series Star Trek: Next Generation is the best popular culture reference to understand what an empathetic or empathic person is like.
Crying during movies means you possess the ability to relate to the emotional state that another person is experiencing based on their situation and facial expressions.
Although you know that this pain belongs to someone else, for example an actor in a movie, you know what it feels like to hurt, grieve, yearn, or rejoice and you can relate to a fellow human being who is showing the same emotion.
Empaths have to be mentally tough because emotional outpourings can drain physical energy. Connection like this to fellow people on the planet is an important social skill that is often overlooked or undervalued. The ability to relate in important ways will help you be successful with your education, career, and romantic partnerships.
