Crying is a typical human expression of emotion. Surprisingly, until now little scientific attention has been devoted to this phenomenon. Many textbooks on emotion fail to pay attention to it, and in scientific journals there are hardly any contributions focusing on this behavior. In contrast, there is much interest from the lay public, allowing pseudo-scientists to formulate theories that have little or no scientific basis. Is there any evidence in support of statements that crying is healthy or that not crying may result in toxification? How do people react to the crying of others? Is...

A resource for students, researchers, clinicians and teachers who are involved in education, research or clinical work in which behavioural medicine takes a crucial position.

This volume discusses the phenomenon of crying from several perspectives. Specific attention is given to methodological issues and assessment, and each chapter provides a review and a summary of the relevant scientific literature.