How Many Calories You Really Burn When You Cry
Crying is a response to an intense emotion. According to Healthline, the tears stemming from overwhelming emotions are called "psychic tears." Psychic tears are a sign that you have turned a psychological response into a physical one. But whether you are crying tears from grief, tears from joy, or the tears expected from re-watching The Notebook, you're going to burn the same amount of calories.
It may come as a surprise for some that crying actually does burn calories. Unfortunately, the calorie burn is not nearly enough to cause us to throw our running shoes in the garbage. LIVESTRONG tells us that crying doesn't demand physical exertion and has little effect on our metabolic rate. Though the act of crying will only burn a small amount of calories, it's still nice to hear we are double tasking, when letting the tears flow. Here's how many calories you can burn for having a good sob fest.
Crying isn't exactly a calorie-burning activity
According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, crying is thought to roughly burn 1.3 calories per minute. Which means if you let the waterworks leak for 30 minutes, you will burn around 39 calories. Coincidentally, laughing burns the same amount of calories as crying.
While the physical act of crying isn't exactly a calorie-burning activity, Healthline claims that crying may help balance hormones and trigger your metabolism, and therefore can help in reducing your weight. The Science Times also notes that crying for a duration of time has shown to relieve stress, which helps with regulating the hormone cortisol. This in turn can help you get rid of stubborn belly fat.
The next time you feel the need to shed some tears, grab a tissue and know that you are doing a healthy thing for your body. That being said, it isn't advised to put The Notebook on repeat.