The Elusive Effects of Crying

The psychological effects and benefits of crying are heterogeneous and depend on the context of the episode. Crying can be stimulated by negative events as well as positive events. There seems to be no clear cut between whether or not crying is beneficial to an individual. This would depend on the person and the conditions. By understanding this, then we get to know the elusive effects of crying.
There seem to be two major answers to the benefits of crying. One serves to relieve tension and distress while reducing arousal. The other aggravate distress and increase arousal in an autonomic way. Other theories are there to prove how crying is important in one’s life. The article presents the psychological consequences of crying and better explains why the advantages have been elusive in the past.
Many beliefs and theories that exist to show how beneficial crying is to a person yet others find no benefits. To better understand the elusive effects of crying, then you need to know that the benefits of crying:
Depend on the paradigm of the research – when the effects are measured (calming effects versus arousing effects) and the social context surrounding the crying episode.
Depend on social-environmental conditions – support from friends or not, resolvable or irresolvable event, embarrassment etc.
Depend on the personal traits of the crier – age, gender, neuroticism, alexithymia etc.
Depend on the crier’s affective state – anhedonia, anxiety, depression, joy etc.
This article presents a well-defined framework that really helps in understanding the psychological effects or benefits of crying.

To determine how beneficial it is, then you need to consider the individual and the context of the event. This is very true as this shows that the benefits can vary from time to time and person to person. This information is very important especially in this elusive research area as it brings out clear guidelines and results.
However, there is still more to be done to answer many questions surrounding this topic. The article does not present us with the results of crying out of a positive event. Long-term prospective studies of the benefits of crying are also needed. A clear methodology of getting the research results is key for one to follow and cross-examine other authors’ findings. The references are valid and relevant to this article hence cannot be disputed.
The elusive effects of crying depend on many factors including the individuals and the context of the crying episode. This helps us understand the heterogeneity of crying and the psychological benefits.