Garrett Mukai Blog

Some research for project on crying

2011-12-28T17:38:00.000-08:00

From Why Do You Cry?:

"Crying is a natural emotional response to certain feelings, usually sadness and hurt. But then people [also] cry under other circumstances and occasions...people cry in response to something of beauty. There, I use the word 'melting.' They are letting go of their guard, their defenses, tapping into a place deep inside themselves."

Crying does serve an emotional purpose, says Sideroff, also an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. "It's a release. There is a buildup of energy with feelings."

It can also be a survival mechanism, notes Jodi DeLuca, PhD, a neuropsychologist at Tampa General Hospital in Florida. ''When you cry," she says, "it's a signal you need to address something." Among other things, it may mean you are frustrated, overwhelmed or even just trying to get someone's attention, which DeLuca and other researchers call a "secondary gain" cry.

On top of that, crying may have a biochemical purpose. It's believed to release stress hormones or toxins from the body, says Lauren Bylsma, a PhD student at the University of South Florida in Tampa, who has focused on crying in her research.

Lastly, crying has a purely social function, Bylsma says. It often wins support from those who watch you cry. Sometimes, crying may be manipulative -- a way to get what you want, whether you're asking a friend to go shopping with you, your spouse to agree to a luxurious vacation, or your child to get their math homework done.

Jill Greenberg

Kimo, me and a Kerokeropi pillow

2011-10-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

James Reynolds: Last Suppers

2011-09-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

News of Texas ending their 'last meal' privilege for death row inmates reminds me of James Reynolds's Last Suppers. Very simply and well done, though I wish there were more in the series.

Elspeth

2011-09-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

August 14, 2010

Montana

2011-09-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

I just got through uploading some photos of Montana to the site. Some brief back-story if you care: I went on a trip with my roommate to her hometown of Dillon and made some stops in Missoula, Butte, Virgina City, Bannack and Nevada City. It was my first trip off the East/West Coast and found much of it to be very intimidating. A culture I am not used to at all. Yet I'm thankful to have experienced it, and the three ladies who took care of me along the way: