A New Social Trend

By Mira Pawar.

Health clubs, Yoga clubs, and laughter clubs seem like a thing of the past. The latest social trend captivating people’s interest is the emergence of a crying club, although not very sought-after at present.

Crying clubs are of the opinion that crying is no less beneficial to health than laughter. Strong emotions like empathy, compassion, physical pain, guilt, anger and disappointment are some emotions that can stimulate crying. Humans are the only creatures whose tears are triggered by emotions.

Predominantly, it is believed that women cry more than men and this may be due to a combination of biological and cultural factors. A general perception is that people who cry are weak and incompetent.  Men, however, do not consider themselves in this category. Dutch psychologist Dr. Vingerhoets who authored a book in 2013 titled “why only humans weep” asserts that people who cry are more warm, reliable and honest. “If you supress your emotions, it stays in your subconscious mind and could manifest itself in the form of behavioural problems or mental health complications” affirms Akanksha Pandey, a clinical psychologist at the Fortis Hospital in Bangalore.

As per some sources, crying club was first started in Tokyo, Japan in 2013 by Hiroki Terai when he observed how emotional Japanese people became during divorce ceremonies. Although time is a great healer, crying helps to accept the separation. The crying club help those who need a shoulder to cry on to relieve stress.

However, talking of crying club, we are not far behind! One of India’s first few laughter therapist Kamlesh Masalawala from Surat discovered an alternate vocation as a crying therapist “Joy and sorrow are two sides of the same coin” asserts Masalawala. Every human being has to laugh and cry to express his emotions. It was when a renowned psychologist suggested, Masalawala did an extensive research and came to the conclusion that crying was very helpful for patients with psychological problems and hence, he decided to start a crying club in June 2017.

During his first tearful session in Surat, Masalawala shared a personal story of his childhood. For a school trip when he couldn’t afford Rs.200/- his mother sold her gold earrings to pay for the trip. When he was relating the story, he choked up with emotion and noticed many in the audience who started to cry as well. This set up the stage for Masalawala’s crying club. The members share their personal stories and incidents in the crying club which they had never shared with anyone. The crying club is open every Sunday for members to share their grievances with others and shed a tear or two to feel lighter. Ophthalmologist believe that crying clears not only the mind but also clears the tear ducts in the eye and this is more effective than eye drops.

Crying for an extended period triggers the release of oxytocin and endogenous opioids, commonly referred to as endorphins. These chemicals promote feelings of well-being and can alleviate both physical and emotional discomfort. Once endorphins are released, our body may enter a state of relative numbness. Shedding a tear or two does not always have to be in a state of unhappiness, it can be tears of joy as well.

Tears are made up of three layers’- lipid, aqueous and mucous and are composed of water, salt, antibodies and Lysozymes (antibacterial enzymes). Electrolytes in tears include sodium which gives tears their characteristic salty taste.

For men, who believe that crying will make them appear weak or incompetent, know that this is not true. In fact, allowing yourself to cry can lead to a significant reduction in stress and a lighter emotional load.