What it is
Crying is the release of tears in response to emotional distress, pain, or relief — a normal human response.
Emerging evidence
Crying
Release of tears in response to emotional experience; normal and adaptive, but clinically relevant when excessive, involuntary, or disproportionate.
CategoryEmotional
Reviewed by Gyfts Editorial Team · Editorial Health Review
26 March 2026
At a glance
Crying at a glance
Commonly experienced as
- Excessive or distressing crying often generates shame — people feel embarrassed by their inability to control emotional expression, particularly in professional or social contexts. There may be confusion about why they are crying when the emotional context does not seem to warrant it. Understanding the neurological or hormonal substrate can provide reassurance.
Evidence context
Emerging evidenceSee the evidence snapshotSafety
See staying safeContext
Patterns of Crying
Crying is a physiological and emotional response involving lacrimation (tear production), facial muscle activation, and often vocalisation, triggered by a range of emotional and physical states including sadness, grief, frustration, relief, joy, empathy, or pain. It serves important social signalling and emotional regulation functions — research suggests crying facilitates the release of stress hormones and endorphin responses that may promote emotional recovery. As a presenting symptom, the clinical significance of crying depends on its context: frequent, distressing, or involuntary crying in the context of persistent low mood suggests a depressive episode. Pseudobulbar affect — a neurological condition characterised by involuntary, uncontrollable outbursts of crying (or laughing) disproportionate to emotional context — is associated with neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, ALS, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Culturally, norms around crying vary substantially across genders and communities. Holistic perspectives often regard the capacity to cry as a sign of emotional health and authentic self-expression.
Could this be you
People commonly experience
Crying shows up differently for everyone. Browse by how it tends to be felt — these are common experiences, not a checklist or a diagnosis.
In the body1 common experience
- Excessive or distressing crying often generates shame — people feel embarrassed by their inability to control emotional expression, particularly in professional or social contexts. There may be confusion about why they are crying when the emotional context does not seem to warrant it. Understanding the neurological or hormonal substrate can provide reassurance.
Common experiences people describe — not a diagnostic checklist.
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Related conditions
The Evidence
Evidence context: Crying
What research and clinical practice say about crying as a symptom — and when it warrants professional attention.
Overall pictureModerate evidence
Crying is meaningful data — context determines its significance
Crying serves real physiological and emotional functions, but frequent, distressing, or involuntary crying can signal conditions ranging from depression to neurological change. Understanding the pattern matters as much as the symptom itself.
When crying needs prompt attentionSome patterns of crying point to conditions requiring professional assessment without delay.
Involuntary crying disproportionate to context may indicate pseudobulbar affect — a neurological condition linked to MS, stroke, or brain injury. Frequent crying alongside persistent low mood and loss of pleasure warrants depression assessment. Crying accompanied by thoughts of self-harm requires urgent professional contact. New onset in an older adult should prompt neurological or late-life depression review.
What the evidence supportsPsychotherapy has the strongest evidence base for distressing or excessive crying linked to depression or grief.
Structured psychotherapy — including CBT and trauma-informed approaches — has well-supported evidence for reducing emotional distress and improving regulation. For pseudobulbar affect specifically, dextromethorphan/quinidine has regulatory approval. Somatic and body-oriented therapies show promising but more limited evidence for facilitating healthy emotional processing.
Understanding crying as a symptomCrying becomes clinically relevant when it is frequent, involuntary, or accompanied by other symptoms.
Crying is a normal physiological response involving tear production, facial activation, and vocalisation. Research suggests it supports emotional regulation by facilitating stress hormone release. As a symptom, its significance depends on frequency, context, and accompanying features — not on the act of crying itself. Hormonal factors including PMS and perimenopause are also recognised contributors.
Somatic perspectives on emotional tearsSeveral body-oriented approaches view tears as a healthy discharge of held physical and emotional tension.
Approaches such as Somatic Experiencing and bioenergetics frame emotional tears as part of the body's natural completion of stress responses. These frameworks are not mutually exclusive with psychological or medical perspectives. Evidence for somatic approaches in this area is emerging rather than established, and they are best used alongside — not instead of — professional assessment where symptoms are significant.
Traditional system perspectivesTraditional Chinese Medicine links crying and grief to the Lung system and its associated spirit.
In TCM, the Lung governs grief and is associated with the Po — the corporeal aspect of the spirit. Interventions aim to support Lung Qi and facilitate healthy grief processing. These frameworks reflect coherent internal systems of meaning rather than biomedical claims. Evidence for TCM interventions specifically targeting crying as a symptom is limited; they are best understood as complementary to, not substitutes for, professional assessment.
Knowing when to seek professional supportCrying that is distressing, frequent, or feels out of control deserves professional attention — not self-management alone.
A GP, psychologist, or psychiatrist can help identify whether crying reflects depression, grief, hormonal change, or a neurological condition. Early assessment avoids prolonged distress and opens access to effective support. Complementary and holistic approaches may offer valuable additional support once significant underlying causes have been considered by a qualified professional.
Safety first
Staying safe
General, informational guidance — not diagnostic. A qualified practitioner can advise on your own situation.
- Avoid suppressing emotional release without understanding its function
- Intense cathartic techniques should be used carefully in individuals with trauma history without therapeutic containment
References
Evidence & Research
Educational sources that inform this overview. Inclusion is for context and does not imply endorsement.
- Predicting the longitudinal effects of the family environment on prodromal symptoms and functioning in patients at-risk for psychosis
- DSM-IV and ICD-10 generalized anxiety disorder: Discrepant diagnoses and associated disability
- Working with emotions in psychotherapy
Full citations are maintained by the Gyfts editorial team and reviewed periodically.
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