Release of emotion is like a circuit breaker that allows us to begin the process of recovery. Many things such as physical pain cause crying, frustration, happiness, anger and sadness can often be another reason for emotional release.
Each of us will express our emotions in different ways however culture is quite often in conflict with our true feelings. In other words, we bottle up or otherwise try to conceal how we feel because it is culturally expected of us. Men do not cry it is considered a sign of weakness in most cultures while women are expected to show their feminine weaknesses. It is really quite unfair since both sexes are human and capable of expressing the same emotion for a given stimuli. Our individual emotional makeup will determine the level of response however the stereotypical gender issues will serve to mask true our emotions, particularly in a public forum.
Tension without a means of release is destructive and dangerous because once a certain trigger point is reached a loss of control is the usual result. People that bottle up emotions can be described as walking time bombs waiting for the right conditions before exploding into either a violent or other negative and destructive action.
The conditions where true emotional release is expressed by crying vary however those holding in for reasons of their own are more likely to cry in situations where they feel secure. Within a marriage, it is safe ground for the male to cry when any other more social occasion requires a show of strength.
There is no advantage in completely repressing what is a natural human condition when extreme events or stimuli affect us. Crying is not a weakness irrespective of cultural suppression or social loss of face. Those who can disregard the social graces and openly express their feelings are likely to be far more emotionally stable and genuine human beings.
