Here’s the Truth About the Benefits of Religious Men in Utah Who Cry in Public

Archie Wilson who plays football for Nebraska broke down at a press conference when he was talking about missing his family in Australia. This has brought on a flood of discussion about how men would be better off being able to cry. 

Do Men in Utah Cry More? 

Utah is a religious state. Not as much as some states in the south, but the most religious of any in the west. With this belief in God comes strong emotions that often make people cry although there are no studies to show those who believe tend to weep more. 

However, there are many discussions on the internet where people think believers cry a lot. In Utah, commenters point to testimony meetings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as proof of a lot of tears flowing. 

Studies on if Crying is Beneficial are not Conclusive 

This article from Men’s Health looks at different studies on the benefits of crying. They describe one study that wanted to see if crying made a person more resilient, but it wasn’t clear if there was a benefit. 

They did point out that the positives or negatives of showing emotion through tears had a lot to do with how those around responded to it. If crying made the person feel embarrassed those negative feelings were more impactful than releasing the emotion. 

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Much of it has to do with the culture. If you live around people who share their emotions readily, doing the same will feel normal. The opposite is true if your culture is more reserved. In the end it might be alright either way.