Why Do You Cry More Easily Than Other People?

Last Updated on January 7, 2021

Does it often feel like onions are being cut near your face? Do you feel self-conscious about your crying that you want to know the reasons why?

It goes like this: you’re watching a sad movie, a tragic scene comes in but you don’t even know what’s going on because you can’t see through the tears. Or, you’re having a heated conversation with someone and when they raise their voice one octave above yours, your tears threaten to pour down your face!

There are plenty of reasons that may make you cry more easily compared to other people.

It could be biological or “just your personality” which is totally fine because it may mean that you’re a highly empathetic person, or it could be because of mental health problems like stress and depression that should not be overlooked at all.

#1 – It’s in your genes

Did people call you a crybaby when you were younger because you were so easy to cry? And as an adult, do you still cry more easily than others? It’s probably just your personality!

Each one of us has his or her own unique personality traits that are shaped by many factors including genetics, experiences, education, and culture, etc., so some people are just more sensitive than others and have higher levels of empathy and high sensory processing.

When you’re naturally a highly sensitive person, you’re like an emotional sponge that absorbs the feelings of other people which also makes you an emotional empath.

Science has explained the role that genes play in causing regions of the brain to trigger more intense emotions. Rather than just one gene causing oversensitivity, there is a variation of genes called ADRA2b that is proved to influence emotional responses to certain situations and conditions like anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It should be noted that there is a massive difference between being naturally a sensitive person who may cry more easily compared to other people and the excessive crying that interferes with a person’s productivity or day-to-day tasks.

Keep reading to find out.

#2 – Hormones acting out

Hormones control and affect the different functions and processes in the body, so hormonal imbalance or shift like menopause in women and andropause which is associated with low testosterone in men can make a person oversensitive and more prone to tearing up.

Moreover, scientific studies show that women report crying more than men do, because of the fact that the testosterone hormone which is higher in men may prevent crying.

Meanwhile, prolactin hormone that is involved in stress and high in women can promote crying.

#3 – Stress and anxiety

If you’re dealing with stress and anxiety, it’s most likely that you can’t control your tears.

Chronic stress can make you oversensitive and cause you to experience all kinds of emotions in an intense way due to the increased levels of cortisol, a hormone that helps your body respond to stress and performs other functions like regulating metabolism and controlling blood sugar level.

Too much cortisol in the brain due to stress can lead to mood swings, anxiety, and depression which makes you highly emotional and prone to crying out of nowhere, among other health problems like weight gain and diabetes, etc.

In the same way, anxiety brings negative feelings and crying episodes that often tend to be uncontrollable and interfere with your everyday life.
It’s important to seek a clinical psychologist if you’re experiencing symptoms of chronic stress for the first time because they may result in depression when untreated, if you’re not already suffering from it.

#4 – Depression/bipolar disorder

Mild depression or clinical depression, which is the most severe type of depression, is also related to high cortisol levels. A mix of depression and anxiety can make crying difficult to stop.

The manic-depressive illness we know as bipolar disorder can also be behind mood swings, sudden bursts of high energy followed by very low energy and depressive episodes. Bipolar disorder is more complex than that, however, one of the symptoms that it has in common with depression is the feeling of hopelessness and the overwhelming urge to cry, etc.

The type of crying that is caused by serious mental health conditions like depression or bipolar disorder should not be overlooked. It requires immediate medical treatment.

#5 – Medications

Some medications can have negative side effects on your mental health, causing you mood swings, dark moods, and leave you feeling “touchy” and prone to weeping in situations that don’t normally make you cry.

According to some medical studies, stimulant medication, birth control pills, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety, lupus, or gout medications interfere with hormones and may even cause depression.

Consult your doctor if you experience such symptoms after taking the aforementioned types of medication or any medications at all.

Life is full of ups and downs and people handle them differently. If you have always been a highly sensitive person, it does not mean that you are weaker than others, it means that you experience the world deeper than others.

But if you’re experiencing unusual episodes of crying, it’s time to seek professional help. Remember to never ignore the signs of depression.