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Social and psychological consequences of not crying: possible associations with psychopathology and therapeutic relevance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 August 2017

Dale C. Hesdorffer ,
Ad J.J.M. Vingerhoets  and
Michael R. Trimble
Dale C. Hesdorffer*
Affiliation:
Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
Ad J.J.M. Vingerhoets
Affiliation:
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
Michael R. Trimble
Affiliation:
Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
*
*Address correspondence to: Dale C. Hesdorffer, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center and Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, P&S Unit 16, New York, New York 10032. (Email: dch5@cumc.columbia.edu)
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Abstract

Objective

Emotional crying is hypothesized to serve intra- and interpersonal functions. Intrapersonal functions are assumed to facilitate the capacity to recover from emotional distress, thus promoting well-being. Interpersonal functions are postulated to have a major impact on social functioning. We hypothesized that non-criers would have lower well-being and poorer social functioning than criers.

Methods

Study participants included 475 people who reportedly lost the capacity to cry and 179 “normal” control criers. Applied measures assessed crying, well-being, empathy, attachment, social support, and connection with others. Prevalence estimates of not crying by gender were obtained from a panel survey of 2,000 Dutch households.

Results

In the main survey, tearless cases had less connection with others, less empathy, and experienced less social support, but were equal in terms of well-being. They also reported being less moved by emotional stimuli and had a more avoidant and less anxious attachment style. In multivariate analyses, being male, having an avoidant attachment style, and lacking empathy were independent predictors of tearlessness. Some 46.1% felt that not being able to cry affected them negatively; however, despite these findings, only 2.9% had sought any kind of professional help. Loss of the capacity to cry occurred in 8.6% of the men and 6.5% of the women in the large panel survey.

Conclusions

Despite reduced empathy, less connection with others, and a more avoidant/less anxious attachment type, well-being is maintained in tearless people. Additional clinical and therapeutic investigations of tearlessness may lead to clarification of bidirectional associations between psychiatric disorders (e.g., alexithymia, posttraumatic stress disorder, psychopathy) and tearlessness.

Keywords

Cross-sectional studytearlessnesscryingwell-beingempathysocial functioningcase–control study
Type
Original Research
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 23 , Special Issue 6: Theme: Neuropsychiatry , December 2018 , pp. 414 - 422
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

The authors would like to thank the people who participated in our study. This research did not receive any specific grants from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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