11 Universal Crying Styles And What They Say About You
Self-expression is the theme of this week's "Girl Code" episode (airing Wednesday at 11/10c on MTV). There are obviously tons of ways to express yourself -- everything from what you wear to what you say is a statement about your identity. Even something as simple as crying sends a message about your current state of mind.
Not all cries are the same, though. Some are more dramatic than others, but each cry says something different about whatever it is you're going through at the time. Here's the lowdown:
1. The Drunk Cry
Why it happens: Wine. Always blame the wine.
What it says about you: You're feeling a little overwhelmed right now, and alcohol made it easier to express your emotions. There's nothing wrong with that.
2. The Breakup Cry
Why it happens: You got dumped, most likely.
What it says about you: You feel betrayed by someone you once loved and trusted. The person who always supported you when you were upset is now the person who is making you upset. That's a rough thing to process.
BTW, here's a quick video that explains all the crappy phases of a breakup:
3. The I-Don't-Know-Why-I'm-Crying Cry
Why it happens: There's nothing to watch on TV. Your internet is annoyingly slow. There's a stupid bird chirping loudly outside your window. Who knows.
What it says about you: For some inexplicable reason, you just need a really good cry. It happens. There's nothing wrong with you. You just need to shed a few tears before continuing on with your fabulous life.
4. The Invisible Cry
Why it happens: You're in public and don't want anyone to see you completely lose it.
What it says about you: The ability to hold in tears means you have great self-control. But you should also probably get yourself out of this very public situation ASAP, so you can let out the earth-shattering sobs you need to get off your chest.
5. The My-Friends-Made-Plans-Without-Me Cry
Why it happens: It's Saturday night and you have nowhere to go because you weren't invited anywhere. Endlessly scrolling through Instagram probably triggered your FOMO.
What it says about you: You're simultaneously annoyed at and upset by your so-called friends. Being purposefully excluded would make anyone feel lonely, so your feelings are completely valid.
6. The Mournful Cry
Why it happens: Someone dies or gets seriously hurt.
What it says about you: You're human. You feel things. You need time to grieve.
7. The Angry Cry
Why it happens: Someone ate the last of your Ben & Jerry's and that jerk is going to pay for their sins.
What it says about you: You are PISSED. You also really, really like ice cream.
8. The It's-Finals-Week Cry
Why it happens: You have three exams and two papers due on the same day and that shouldn't be legal.
What it says about you: You neglected to check the courses' syllabi at the beginning of the semester. If you had read over them, you would have realized months ago that your three most important classes all have finals on the same exact day. If that's not an acceptable reason to drop a class, I don't know what is.
9. The Happy Cry
Why it happens: You're overwhelmed by how everything in your life -- your friends, your relationship, your career, you name it -- is going better than you could have possibly imagined.
What it says about you: You feel very fortunate that everything is working out for you at the moment, but you're also a bit worried. Life seems a little too good to be true right now. You feel like something bad is bound to happen soon.
10. The Manipulative Cry
Why it happens: You're crying in order to get someone to do something for you.
What it says about you: You're being mean. Stop that. Instead of dramatically sobbing, just ask for whatever it is you want.
11. The I-F--ked-Up Cry
Why it happens: You obviously f--ked up.
What it says about you: You either (A) genuinely feel terrible about whatever horrible thing you did or (B) mistakenly think crying will make it easier for the offended person to forgive your sorry ass. Hopefully it's mostly A.
