What Makes Japanese Cry?

Q1: About how often do you have occassion to cry? (Sample size=502)

	All	Male N=266	Female N=236
Once a week or more	11.4%	6.8%	16.5%
Once a month	24.9%	16.5%	34.3%
Once every three months	15.7%	15.4%	16.1%
Once every six months	11.8%	10.5%	13.1%
Once every nine months	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%
Once a year	14.3%	18.4%	9.7%
Less than that	21.5%	32.0%	9.7%

Art by Mukkun

Q2: What kind of emotion most often causes you to cry? (Sample size=502)

	All	Male N=266	Female N=236
Being moved	59.8%	65.4%	53.4%
Sadness	17.3%	14.7%	20.3%
Bitterness	6.2%	4.5%	8.1%
Joy	5.4%	7.1%	3.4%
Harshness	3.8%	0.8%	7.2%
Anger	2.0%	1.1%	3.0%
Other	5.6%	6.4%	4.7%

“Harshness” could also be interpreted as “spiciness” as they share the same kanji, but I don’t think curry is an emotional experience.

Art by Kieta

Q3: What most often causes you to cry? (Sample size=502)

	All	Male N=266	Female N=236
Television programs	28.5%	28.6%	28.4%
Movies	26.3%	32.7%	19.1%
Human relations	19.9%	14.3%	26.3%
Books	8.2%	7.1%	9.3%
Work	3.4%	2.3%	4.7%
Music	2.2%	1.9%	2.5%
Participating in an event	1.6%	2.3%	0.8%
Other	10.0%	10.9%	8.9%

Art by CLAMP

Q4: When crying, do you hold back the tears or sobs? (Sample size=502)

	All	Male N=266	Female N=236
Always hold back	24.1%	27.8%	19.9%
Usually hold back	46.0%	38.0%	55.1%
Sometimes hold back	18.5%	20.3%	16.5%
Never hold back	11.4%	13.9%	8.5%

Art by Bunnymenjdno

Q5: Do you relieve stress when you cry? (Sample size=502)

	All	Male N=266	Female N=236
Completely relieve	14.3%	10.2%	19.1%
Relieve a little	49.4%	44.7%	54.7%
Don’t relieve	36.3%	45.1%	26.3%

Art by Kitsuta

Source: What Japan Thinks

Trivia

• On average men cry once every month, women cry at least five times per month, especially before and during the menstrual cycle when crying can increase up to 5 times the normal rate, often without obvious reasons (such as depression or sadness).
• Tears produced during emotional crying have a chemical composition which differs from other types of tears. They contain significantly greater quantities of hormones prolactin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, Leu-enkephalin and the elements potassium and manganese.
• William H. Frey II, a biochemist at the University of Minnesota, proposed that people feel “better” after crying, due to the elimination of hormones associated with stress, specifically adrenocorticotropic hormone.

Source

Coping Mechanisms

Action-based coping

Action-based coping involves actually dealing with a problem that is causing stress. Examples can include getting a second job in the face of financial difficulties, or studying to prepare for exams. Examples of action-based coping include planning, suppression of competing activities, confrontation, self-control, and restraint.

Emotion-based coping

Emotion-based coping skills reduce the symptoms of stress without addressing the source of the stress. Sleeping or discussing the stress with a friend are all emotion-based coping strategies. Other examples include denial, rationalization, repression, wishful thinking, distraction, relaxation, reappraisal, and humor. There are both positive and negative coping methods.

Harmful coping methods

Some coping methods are more like habits than skills, and can be harmful. Overused, they may actually worsen one’s condition. Alcohol, cocaine and other drugs may provide temporary escape from one’s problems, but, with excess use, ultimately result in greater problems. Other less extreme cases involve skin biting, nail biting, and hair pulling.

Source

Other Surveys about Japan