Forget putting on a brave face - crying does us good: Charity warns suppressing our emotions could be harming mental health 

  • One in four 18 to 34-year-olds say showing emotions is a sign of weakness 
  • That is compared with just one in ten over-55s researchers found 
  • One in five in the younger age group say they have cried in the past week
  • Mental health charity, Mind, say it's not good to keep emotions bottled up  

By Jessica Fleig For The Daily Mail

Published: 18:10 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 18:37 EST, 22 September 2015

We in Britain are famous for our ability to keep a stiff upper lip.

But this tendency to suppress emotions could be harming our mental health, according to a charity, which suggests that crying more could make us feel better.

One in four 18 to 34-year-olds admit they think showing emotions is a sign of weakness, compared with just one in ten over-55s, researchers found.

One in four 18 to 34-year-olds admit they think showing emotions is a sign of weakness, compared with just one in ten over-55s, researchers found

One in four 18 to 34-year-olds admit they think showing emotions is a sign of weakness, compared with just one in ten over-55s, researchers found

Meanwhile, one in five in the younger age group say they have cried in the past week because of anxiety.

But Paul Farmer, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, which commissioned the research, said it is good for us not to keep emotions bottled up. 

He added: ‘Many of us lead busy, stressful lives and sometimes it can feel like things are spiralling out of control. Although it may seem tempting to put on a brave face, it really is OK to cry.

‘It’s time for us all to stop holding back the tears and reach out for support.’

Meanwhile, one in five in the younger age group say they have cried in the past week because of anxiety

Meanwhile, one in five in the younger age group say they have cried in the past week because of anxiety

The Populus poll of 2,063 adults found women were three times more likely than men to have cried because they felt anxious in the past week.

They were also twice as likely to say that crying had made them feel better. Half of women surveyed also said they turned to comfort eating to cope with negative feelings, compared with two-fifths of men.

Mind says it is a common and useful response to cry and has launched a free guide on how to cope with stress and anxiety.

Mind says it is a common and useful response to cry and has launched a free guide on how to cope with stress and anxiety

Mind says it is a common and useful response to cry and has launched a free guide on how to cope with stress and anxiety

Mind said: ‘Anxiety has now become level with depression as one of the most common reasons for calls to Mind’s Infoline. In 2014/15 alone there were 6,087 calls about anxiety and panic attacks, which accounted for nearly one in six of all calls.

‘Perhaps most worryingly, only half of people polled agreed that anxiety could be a mental health problem. In fact, nearly one in twenty people currently experiences anxiety on its own and one in 10 has mixed anxiety and depression.

‘If symptoms of anxiety – such as feeling tense and restless, breathing rapidly and getting light headed, or having persistent negative thoughts – aren’t addressed and become severe, they can have a serious impact on day-to-day life.

‘Problems sleeping, lowered immune system and depression can all develop as a knock-on effect and can get to the point that it becomes difficult to hold down a job, maintain relationships or take pleasure in life.’ 

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