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Study suggests modern men cry twice as much as their fathers

Posted at 4:49 PM, Mar 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-21 16:49:02-04

A new study suggests the social stigma against men displaying emotions may be lessening.

According to the findings, modern men cry twice as much in public as their fathers. The study, conducted on 2,000 men, found that middle aged men cry in public an average of 14 different times in their adult life.

In the study conducted by the Universal Channel, they found that nearly eight in 10 British men have cried during an emotional television show.

According to a recent article published in the Indepedent, the study shows British men are crying more frequently and more openly about more trivial things, not just than reserving tears for death of a family member or birth of a child.

It is now thought that a social stigma against men showing emotions is waning.

Psychologist Donna Dawson told the Independent: “Even though today’s society is more approving of public tears, there is still a lurking fear in many of us that the people witnessing it will make fun of us:”

“Fictional TV shows are more likely to elicit tears because they allow a more pure, universal expression of grief- an emotional ‘unloading’- which is not tainted by the conflicting emotions of guilt, regret, confusion and anger that often accompany specific real-life situations. Conflicting emotions can stop or inhibit us from crying over a situation.”