Abstract
Theories of emotional weeping indicate that expression through tears is healthy, but laboratory research has produced mixed results. Fifty women viewed a sad videotape under instructions to either express or inhibit crying. Mood and stress levels were measured before and after viewing, and skin conductance was monitored continuously. Subjects also reported their crying frequency in the past month. A median split on crying intensity divided subjects into two groups; subjects included in analyses were those in the expression condition who reported strong reactions, and those in the inhibition condition who did not. Thirty-five participants fit these categories. The results indicated that moods became more negative from pre- to postmovie for both groups. Skin conductance, or arousal level, was higher at the end of the movie in the inhibition than in the expression condition. On the stress measure, condition and natural crying propensity interacted, so that subjects with the highest stress levels were those whose behavior in the study was inconsistent with their natural tendencies. The results are discussed in the context of earlier research on behavioral inhibition and emotional regulation.
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Labott, S.M., Teleha, M.K. Weeping propensity and the effects of laboratory expression or inhibition. Motiv Emot 20, 273–284 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02251890
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02251890