What do you call a movie that makes you cry a lot?
Rom-coms and funny movies have their place, but sometimes you're just in the mood to cry. Whether you've been dealing with heartbreak, illness, or you're just feeling all the feelings, a tearjerker movie is sometimes exactly what you need to feel better.
Crying in the movies is a sign that oxytocin has been triggered by the connections you feel due to vicarious social experience. Your attention is captured and emotions elicited by the movie's story.
Crying in response to a movie reveals high empathy, social awareness and connection – all aspects of emotional intelligence. As such, it is an indicator of personal strength rather than weakness.
What Exactly Is PSD? Nishtha Budhiraja, a child psychologist, describes post-series depression as a feeling of "profound sense of grief, loss, or emptiness," which is usually experienced after the end of a TV show, movie, or book. "PSD can also involve feelings of being confused.
We also cry during movies because the brain releases oxytocin, which heightens our responses to the things around us. Researchers at the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands discovered that viewers who cried during a sad movie felt more relaxed afterwards.
The clip that's most often use to bring someone to tears, and can therefore be referred to as the scientifically proven "saddest movie in the world," is Franco Zeffirelli's 1979 film The Champ. Watch the scene, read more about the study and see what other films are part of the report after the jump.
It is important to allow yourself to cry if you feel like it. Make sure to take the time and find a safe space to cry if you need to. Many people associate crying during grief with depression, when it can actually be a sign of healing.
Use Old Memories of Loss or Heartbreak Feeling the character's emotions is important, but you can also use experiences from your own life to help you cry on cue. Before the scene, try meditating on painful, emotionally-charged memories of loss, grief, heartbreak, or sadness.
It was both imaginative and relatable for both children and adults. I never thought "Inside Out" would be this enjoyable, but I was able to experience every emotion of "Joy", "Disgust", "Anger", "Fear", and "Sadness" for each and every moment of this film.
Watching sad shows when you're feeling depressed in hopes that it will make you feel better sounds counterintuitive, but according to Lysn psychologist Nancy Sokarno, it's anything but. She points to a study that found that watching traumatic films can potentially boost pain tolerance and feelings of group bonding.
When we watch a TV show or movie, we empathize with fictional characters as we would with another “real” person right in front of us. We experience psychological effects such as identification, self-other taking, and the proximity effect.
