Every wondered why we cry when we’re happy, laugh when nervous or scream when we’re excited? The answer, according to researchers from Yale, is that it’s a way of allowing people to restore “emotional equilibrium and keep their intense feelings under control”.
That’s according to psychologist Oriana Aragon, who led research into the subject due to be published in the journal Psychological Science. “They [the reactions] seem to take place when people are overwhelmed with strong positive emotions, and people who do this seem to recover better from those strong emotions,” she explained.
In the course of their research, Aragon and her colleagues found people who are most likely to cry at their children’s graduations are also most likely to want to pinch a cute baby’s cheeks. Which is good to know.
“These insights advance our understanding of how people express and control their emotions, which is importantly related to mental and physical health, the quality of relationships with others, and even how well people work together,” Aragon added.
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