What Makes Shower-Crying So Good

From a Ray Bradbury poem to a GIF-worthy reel of Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, the appeal of crying in the shower has been well documented. But what is it about shower-crying that makes it so comforting? After studying over 5,000 crying episodes between men and women, University of Pittsburgh psychologist Lauren Byslma confirmed that people prefer to cry alone, making the privacy of the …

How to Hold Back Tears

Unless you’re alone in a sound-proofed room, crying is generally something to be avoided. But if you do find tears building up at an inopportune time, is there a way to stop them? New York Magazine asked Ad Vingerhoets—a scientist who specializes in emotional tears—this very question and found that physical pain or muscle tensing works best. So the next time you need to hold …