Crying as Communication:
The Function and Gender Quotient

And if the boy have not a woman's gift to rain shower of commanded tears, an onion will do well for such a shift.

...................................................................................Shakespeare

Recently, there was an excellent article in the New York Times, I Cry, Therefore I am, on the origins and cultural perspective of crying. I get asked a lot about crying in the workplace. Overall, most folks feel uncomfortable when someone cries. A further look at crying might reduce this uneasy feeling.

A couple of things to consider:

• Tears protect the eyes by keeping it moist by producing antimicrobial protein.
  
  
• The more emphatic you are, the more likely you will cry (remember a sign of high emotional intelligence
  is the ability to empathize  with others).
  

• People report feeling happier after they cry (although crying is often associated with sadness).
  
  
• The less hierarchical the social-class structure, the more tears flow.
  
  
• People prefer to cry with a woman-maybe because women tend to be more empathetic.
  

• Women cry more than men-they are more expressive.
  
  
• Some people claim when a woman cries, "she is on her way to getting what she wants."

Browse the archives of Audrey’s 2006 to date- Smart Talk Columns on her web! Simply visit www.audreynelson.com and click on “Newsletters.”

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