March 2009 - Have a Good Cry – It’s Good For You!

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When did you last have a good cry? Have you ever noticed how children are quick to cry and how quickly they bounce back after a good cry? There’s a reason. Crying is actually good for you and may just be what the doctor ordered. Most people avoid tears and suppress their feelings, especially men; but the problem with emotional suppression is you’re not letting go of those emotions, and they may show up instead in physical illness, or as depression. Negative emotions and stress suppressed actually produce toxic substances in the body and crying helps remove them from your system.

In research that goes all the way back to 1957, Dr. William Fry, Jr., PhD, a biochemist in the psychiatry department at the St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center in St. Paul, Minnesota found the chemistry of tears varied depending on the stimulus. He analyzed the tears of people after watching a Hollywood tearjerker, and then exposed the same group to fresh-cut onions. He found that emotional tears contained more protein and beta-endorphins, one of the body's natural pain relievers.

So, find a quiet private place and have a good cry. You’ll be amazed how much better you’ll feel.

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