If you cry uncontrollably while watching films, you probably have a good moral compass, study finds
- Researchers conducted experiments with more than 1,000 people in the UK
- According to research, there are four types of behavioral crying.
If you’ve ever cried uncontrollably while watching a movie, then you probably have a good moral compass, according to a new scientific study.
People who are prone to crying are more likely to do charity work, disapprove of lying, and queue jumping.
Crying, which was widely frowned upon in Victorian times, is still associated with weakness and vulnerability.
But researchers who conducted experiments with more than 1,000 people in the UK said: “People who cry are more likely to demonstrate stronger disapproval of moral transgressions and tend to be more willing to demonstrate prosocial behavior.”
According to research, there are four types of crying. “Attachment tears” are shed in response to events such as separations and reunions, while “social tears” arise from conflicts within a group.
If you’ve ever cried uncontrollably while watching a movie, then you probably have a good moral compass, according to a new scientific study.
“Compassionate tears” flow when you see others in need or pain, while “sentimental tears” are tears that occur while watching an emotional scene in a movie or drama.
Previous studies have shown that people who cry are considered more honest, trustworthy and sincere than those who don’t, but the new study is the first to examine whether people who cry actually live up to these assessments.
In six experiments, researchers asked men and women about their tendency to cry.
Questions included: “How likely are you to be moved to tears when reading a book or watching a movie?”
Researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark (pictured) conducted experiments with more than 1,000 people in the UK.
They were then tested and asked about their attitudes toward 30 types of moral transgressions, including lying, false confessions, and turn-turning.
The study found that those who admitted to crying at books and movies were also in the group that disliked poor moral behavior.
Scientists believe that crying can induce altruism and empathy. One theory is that tears act as an exclamation point, emphasizing the significance of what we are experiencing and reinforcing moral values.
“Further research is needed, but it appears that there may be something to the old idea that only good people cry,” researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark said in the journal Social Psychological Bulletin.