The Relationship of Gender Roles and Beliefs to Crying in an International Sample

Abstract

This study aimed to (1) investigate the variation in self ascription to gender roles and attitudes toward gender roles across countries and its associations with crying behaviors, emotion change, and beliefs about crying and (2) understand how the presence of others affects our evaluations of emotion following crying. This was a large international survey design study (N = 893) conducted in Australia, Croatia, the Netherlands, Thailand, and the United Kingdom. Analyses revealed that, across countries, gender, self-ascribed gender roles, and gender role attitudes (GRA) were related to behavioral crying responses, but not related to emotion change following crying. How a person evaluates crying, instead, appeared to be highly related to one’s beliefs about the helpfulness of crying, irrespective of gender. Results regarding crying when others were present showed that people are more likely both to cry and to feel that they received help around a person that they know, compared to a stranger. Furthermore, closeness to persons present during crying did not affect whether help was provided. When a crier reported that they were helped, they also tended to report feeling better following crying than those who cried around others but did not receive help. Few cross-country differences emerged, suggesting that a person’s responses to crying are quite consistent among the countries investigated here, with regard to its relationship with a person’s gender role, crying beliefs, and reactions to the presence of others.

Chick Flick Discourse As A Reflection Of Feminine Stereotypes

“…Perhaps the most common gender-emotional stereotypes in most cultures are judgments that women are more emotional than men, express and experience a wider range of emotions and therefore we expect this from them. Women tend to express "more vulnerable emotions, such as sadness, fear, and shame, rather than anger" (Sharman et al, 2019). Men are expected to be mostly emotionally neutral in behavior which means the need for restrictions in the expression of emotions (Simonova, 2015).…”

A clinical practice review of crying research.

“…There is further evidence that the specific nature of the antecedent may be relevant—for example, after uncontrollable situations (e.g., the loss of a significant other), people less often report a mood improvement than after a crying episode triggered by a controllable situation (e.g., a conflict; Bylsma et al, 2008). In addition, although gender, self-ascribed gender roles, and gender role attitudes are found to be related to behavioral crying responses, they do not seem to show an association with the self-reported mood change following crying (Sharman et al, 2019). Instead, variation in mood changes following tears appears to be strongly related to one’s beliefs about the helpfulness of crying, such that the belief that crying is helpful is associated with greater mood benefit (Sharman et al, 2019).…”

“…In addition, although gender, self-ascribed gender roles, and gender role attitudes are found to be related to behavioral crying responses, they do not seem to show an association with the self-reported mood change following crying (Sharman et al, 2019). Instead, variation in mood changes following tears appears to be strongly related to one’s beliefs about the helpfulness of crying, such that the belief that crying is helpful is associated with greater mood benefit (Sharman et al, 2019). In contrast, depression, anxiety, and alexithymia are associated with less self-reported mood improvement following crying (Rottenberg, Cevaal, & Vingerhoets, 2008; Rottenberg, Bylsma, Wolvin, et al, 2008).…”

“…First, the specific social context is critically important in the emotional effects of tears. Not surprisingly, when bystanders express understanding and/or provide support or comfort, criers more likely benefit from their tears; in contrast, when observers become angry or start laughing, or if the crier feels embarrassed because of his or her crying, then the crier tends to feel worse after crying (Bylsma et al, 2008; Sharman et al, 2019). There is further evidence that the specific nature of the antecedent may be relevant—for example, after uncontrollable situations (e.g., the loss of a significant other), people less often report a mood improvement than after a crying episode triggered by a controllable situation (e.g., a conflict; Bylsma et al, 2008).…”

‘Construct of Gender’ Harmfulness to Humanity Throughout History

“…The correlation between crying rate and crying responses has a psychological impact on a boy's later behavior. [11] In infancy, without the influence of the social environment, boys and girls get the same crying responses and they cry freely. [12][13] From the page of 11, however, differences in crying proneness and frequency begin to emerge.…”