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Why Do Men Cry? (19 Emotional Reasons)

February 4, 2023

Most ladies want answers to the question, “Why do grown men cry?” Some might even want to know whether men cry at all. The truth is, both men and women cry, but men have a better way of concealing their vulnerabilities to the world. Yes, it’s not an image you see a lot, but it does happen and this article will give light to that fact.

Below are nineteen reasons why you would ever see a guy in tears, and these key points cover multiple aspects of life but are not exclusive to all men. All male individuals will behave differently in different circumstances, but these scenarios are likely to make any man cry for the most part.  

19 Possible Reasons Why Men Cry

1. Suppressed emotions

The stereotype that portrays men as the emotionally-stable gender has come under scrutiny over the years. Many believe that the male gender isn’t necessarily resistant to pain or grief but merely suppress any emotion due to the rigid image they have to keep. 

To appear more masculine in front of others, a guy would take the stress of piling up his sorrowful feelings until he’s ready to deal with it. However, when his heart can’t contain the distress anymore, it bursts out in the form of tears. 

Just like any individual that tries to hide their pain, guys go through struggles but find ways to bottle them up to prevent people from seeing their vulnerable side. But time reveals that even the most rigid man isn’t resistant to crying.  

2. Broken relationships

Broken relationships

When men are in love, several things can make them cry, and one of them is heartbreak. Men cry, particularly when they experience heartbreak due to a broken relationship. If they had feelings for a significant other and lost them along the way, it will push them to tears. 

A boyfriend that reminisces on the time and effort he invested into a relationship would cry when it ends. Another scenario is if his spouse or girlfriend cheated on him. 

Just like everyone else, he will feel betrayed and downhearted, which would cause him to cry. Although guys seem to handle broken relationships by concealing their grief, this notion doesn’t suggest that they don’t cry over it.

3. Physical pain

Without a doubt, one thing that can cause a person to produce human tears is pain. Both men and women are bound to cry when they experience physical pain because that’s how our systems operate. While the hormone testosterone is more likely to keep guys from crying, it doesn’t prevent it altogether.

Men may have a more extended threshold to agony than women, but they aren’t exempted from the natural laws of shedding tears when a significant amount of suffering happens to the body. 

Therefore, you can catch guys crying when their bodies are in distress, and they’ve reached their maximum threshold. If a guy has an injury that inhibits his usual line of actions, he’s bound to cry from the discomfort. Likewise, if he was in an accident or underwent surgery, the soreness might cause him to weep.

4. Death

When a person loses something without the hope of ever recovering it, it can bring even the most rigid human to tears. Significantly, when life is lost, a grown man can cry. Guys are bound to weep when they lose a loved one. This scenery happens because of their tight-knit relationship with their family. 

If they shared an emotional bond with the person that died, whether it’s a friend or a colleague, it could make them cry. 

Guys may also sob when they lose their pets because of their attachment to them. If a person loses anything they have a bond to, it will bring them sorrow, which will push them to shed some tears. In a nutshell, death is an unexpected event that destabilizes most people and inevitably makes them cry. 

5. An emotional movie

Some movies pull on the feelings of individuals, causing them to shed tears while watching. A combination of sad features can make even guys cry. For example, a sentimental background tune, a nostalgic storyline, and a soul-stirring lineup of events can make a movie powerful enough to make its viewers cry. 

If a person can emotionally connect with the actors in a film, they’re bound to experience the same magnitude of feelings communicated through the movie. Therefore, a guy that cries while watching a movie isn’t more emotional than the next. It merely means he was able to connect with the actors and the storyline portrayed emotionally.

6. Someone else’s struggle

Apart from emotionally connecting with someone’s suffering from a movie, people are more likely to relate to someone’s grief in real life. This scenario happens because the person’s torment is real. If a guy fails to cry during a movie when he witnesses someone’s struggle, he might weep when he hears about it in reality. 

If anyone they share an emotional connection with is going through either physical or psychological pain, it can make a guy cry. If there’s a lack of support to render to that person, it will make the situation seem even more hopeless, which will undoubtedly cause him to cry.  

7. Funerals

There’s a sad feeling that accompanies funerals. Most individuals might not cry over someone’s death but might find themselves experiencing profound sadness at their funeral. Without a doubt, funerals might make men cry more than the actual end of a person. 

Specific reactions might be triggered when they witness the burial of that person, and the sole fact that they might not get to see them again might push them to cry. 

Although it’s possible for some people not to be moved by funerals, others might have a vulnerable point when observing the burial of someone who was either a stranger or someone they were once closely acquainted with.  

8. Separation

Separation is another scenario that can cause men to cry. Being apart from someone you share a bond with hurts more than expected. Separation can occur in different ways, which is why it’s a real reason for a guy to cry. If partners are apart due to distance, this might make a guy cry way more than on other occasions. 

If a guy is going through a divorce, that event might push him to sob over others. Separating from people, places, and any other thing a person holds an emotional attachment to will make them break down at some point. The time invested in those things or people will make anyone feel remorseful when they have to part with them.

9. Parents’ divorce

Parents’ divorce

People dislike seeing their parents split up, which is why this can make a guy cry. Although some situations are relatively different from others, hearing that your parents are getting a divorce will leave an unsettling feeling in any individual. Most times, this attitude might generate from past experiences with a parent’s divorce

If they never found closure with that situation, it can bring them to tears when they reminisce on the hurt it caused. Watching your family fall apart, especially at a tender age, can cause despair, leading to other sad emotions even as an adult. Therefore, depending on the scenario, a guy would cry when faced with a parents’ divorce.

10. Reuniting with family

Some tears aren’t entirely tied to grief or sorrow. Sometimes, they can be as a result of joy. A special occasion that makes a guy weep with gladness is reuniting with his family. As explained earlier, separation can leave anyone feeling numb, which is why a reunion can make a person cry. 

If family members have been apart all their lives, their reunion will undoubtedly be emotional. An even milder case of a little space between loved ones or lovers will still be heart-warming enough to make anyone cry. The extent to which a guy will sob over a reunion depends on his emotional bond with the parties involved.

11. Facing disappointments

When people face inevitable disappointments, it can push them to the extent of shedding tears. Disappointments usually arise when expectations aren’t met. Men particularly anticipate a lot for their future as they get older, making the probability of facing a disappointment much higher. 

However, not all dissatisfactions about a situation can cause a man to cry. Sobbing over discontent only occurs when the scenario bypasses the strength of the guy. When he feels hopeless about a thing he has spent time on, the situation will most likely make him cry. 

12. Struggling with finances

Most men anticipate good things for their future, especially in the area of their finances. They hope to be stable enough to afford certain things at some point in their lives. For example, moving to a new apartment or finally getting a car. It’s also possible to see men crying over money, mostly when their plans don’t succeed. 

A guy may not control his emotions if he has pending needs to cater to but not enough resources to handle them. If he’s having a bad break, getting out of that position might cause him grief and push him to cry. If it takes a long time for him to get back on track, it will be a soul-stirring experience for him.

13. Witnessing parents’ struggle

Although widespread knowledge suggests that the male gender has better control over their emotions, heart-rending scenarios like seeing a parent’s struggling can overturn this notion. Whether the guy shares a special bond with his parents or not, watching a parent go through stress or agony will be daunting for him. 

If the situation is extreme, he won’t be able to hold back his tears. Likewise, seeing a parent experience the beauty of life can push a guy to tears. For example, having a big break or finally recovering from an ailment. The bottom line is that situations surrounding a parent can affect an individual’s emotion, and even more significantly when they share a great bond with that parent.

14. Sadness

Society expects men to have maximum control of their feelings, but this doesn’t exempt them from experiencing sadness. Multiple things can cause grief for the male gender; some might be singular events, while others might be a combination of scenarios. When a guy is disheartened, he’s likely to shed some tears just like everyone else. 

Widespread knowledge suggests that it takes a while for a man to cry, but in some cases, guys find it hard to resist the urge, and they weep if they have to. Since the act of crying is therapeutic in a way, having a low-spirited feeling can cause even the most inflexible male to sob.

15. The feeling of love

There are some things the men don't always reveal, and one of them is their vulnerability to love as an emotion. Can love make a guy cry? – Indeed, it can. But while trying to retain his masculinity, he will hide most of these feelings. 

Understand that if a heartbreak can make a guy cry, then the joy of love can also bring tears to his eyes. If his heart connects to something or someone, he will unconsciously trigger feelings like these at some point. A guy can cry when love is shown to him in a great dimension because men are also emotional beings.

16. The birth of a child

Men cry when they see the birth of their children because moments like that are undeniably beautiful. After the stress of bearing a child, its delivery will undoubtedly be an emotional experience. Witnessing the child grow over some time is another pleasant experience that can make any father weep. 

Hearing their first words, seeing their first steps, and watching them start and finish school will be sentimental. A parent witnessing their child’s life and reminiscing on how much they’ve grown can cause them to cry their hearts out.

17. Guilt

The feeling of remorse is another thing that can bring tears to the eyes of men. When someone feels guilty, it grips their heart and can make them start weeping. Feeling bad about the past is inevitable for every individual, especially when your mistakes cost you something. For example, if a guy hurt someone he loved, and it cost him his relationship with that person. Knowing he can’t change the past can make him cry.

18. Getting married

Marriage is a beautiful experience that can push a man to cry. More often than none, women tend to be more emotional on their wedding days. But a man can also get teary-eyed by merely watching his bride walk down the aisle on some occasions. We can associate much of this reaction to the vulnerability that love presents or how touching the situation presents itself. 

The reaction of loved ones or merely seeing the image of yourself in your wedding attire can stir up a heart-warming feeling.  

19. Unexpected events

Unexpected occurrences cover the majority of what pushes guys to tears most of the time. If it were up to most of the male gender, they would bottle up their emotions until they can adequately handle them. However, life has a way of bringing out the emotional side of everyone. When a guy least expects it, certain things can take him by surprise and cause him to tear up.

FAQs

Do men cry when they are in love?

Some men are pushed to tears when it comes to love because love is an intense feeling that makes a person vulnerable. A guy can cry for love because of the joy that it brings or because of a heartbreak. Scenarios like getting married or breaking up with a partner can equally make a man cry for love.

What does it mean when a man cries easily?

Men that are more in touch with their emotions than others tend to cry easily. Compassionate individuals feel emotions intensely, and this trait is not necessarily a sign of weakness. Everyone cries at some point, but only a few are comfortable sharing this with others. Therefore, if a man is crying easily to you, it shows he’s comfortable enough around you to be vulnerable.   

What does it mean if a guy cries for you?

When a guy cries for a lady, it shows he has an emotional attachment to you. More so, it means that he regards you as much as he does with his loved ones. His tears hint that he has a special connection with you that he cherishes and hopes not to lose.   

Do guys fall in love harder?

According to research, women tend to take more precautions when it comes to love than guys do. A guy’s requirements for love is, most times, less rigorous than that of ladies. To that effect, it’s easy for guys to fall in love faster and, most times, harder than women do.

What does it mean when you cry while making love?

Intense physical arousal, if not adequately expressed, can lead to tears during and after sex. When people bottle up sexual energy without communicating it, they might end up releasing it in the form of crying. Another reason why a person might cry during sex is to remove the tension of the moment appropriately.

To Conclude

Did you enjoy this article on what could bring a guy to tears? Remember that these points are not exclusive to all individuals of the male gender. Some guys would cry more than others, meaning that most of these scenarios might apply to them. If you liked this article, kindly leave a comment or share it with others.

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