Shedding tears while watching a cinematographic work would indicate a good moral sense.
- In the study, participants who cried easily at movies disapproved of moral transgressions.
- They were more likely to display prosocial behavior, such as donating to charity.
- According to the authors, crying, which was linked to altruism and empathy, strengthened emotions and moral values.
The loss of a loved one, a stressful event, a busy work week… Several reasons and situations can encourage a person to cry from sadness, fatigue, rage or even relief and empathy. “Some involve highly moral aspects such as altruism or moral common sense. At the same time, it has been found that people who shed tears often are perceived as having more moral integrity. They are seen as more honest, reliable and sincere than the others”, said an international team of researchers.
4 categories of tears identified
In one study, scientists wanted to know if this perception reflected the truth. For this, they recruited 2,357 Dutch, Indian and British adults. Participants had to answer a questionnaire about their propensity to cry and also had to watch a film or read a book. During this intervention, the authors analyzed their behavior, particularly their crying, when faced with 30 types of moral transgressions (lies, false confessions, bypassing a queue).
As part of the research, the team also identified four categories of tears. “Attachment tears” are shed in response to events, such as separations and reunions, while “social tears” follow conflicts within a group. “Compassionate tears” are shed when we see others in need or pain, and “sentimental tears” are those that arise when we are faced with a moving scene.
People who cried at a movie were against moral transgressions
According to the results, published in the journal Social Psychological Bulletin, volunteers who admitted to crying while watching movies or reading a book were part of the group that did not condone moral transgressions. They tended to be more willing to display prosocial behavior, such as donating to charity or disapproving of lies. Thus, researchers believed that crying was linked to altruism and empathy and strengthened emotions and moral values.
“More work needs to be done, but it appears this study challenges the idea that only ‘good’ people cry,” the scientists concluded.
