Emotionally Repressed – Those who want to sob

Emotionally Repressed – Those who want to sob. September. 08, 2016 07:27. by 고미석기자 mskoh119@donga.com.

The 2015 animation “Inside Out” drew 4.96 million Korean audiences, placing the movie at the fourth most-seen animation in Korea. The film depicts the emotional ups and downs of 11-year-old girl Riley who just moved from countryside to the city. The movie was loved not only by children, but also by adults, and became a long-run hit. Inside the minds of Riley live five emotion friends; Joy, Fear, Sadness, Anger, and Disgust. Among these emotions, the movie was highly praised by valuing sadness as the most important feeling.

Though emotion friends made tireless efforts and tried everything they can to ward off Riley from sadness, it was sadness that played a decisive role in healing Riley. The animation resonated deeply with the audience, conveying the message that happiness in life is not just about rejoicing, but also confronting sadness. And one of the ways to face sadness is to cry. In Japan, there is a healing meeting where complete strangers gather and cry over a sad movie clip. The meeting is called “Luikkas" (roughly translated into "crying meeting"), which started in 2013 and held over 150 times until now.

The same goes for laughing as well. We tend to laugh harder when we watch TV comedies together. As contagious as laughter is, those who want to cry are easily immersed into emotions even when they see the next person sob. Then why are middle-aged men voluntarily crying in front of strangers? Confession has it that they have nowhere else to load off and burst into cry, as they will be stigmatized as “wimps” when they cry at the office, and shock and break the hearts of their loved ones when they sob at home. True, crying helps. But it hurts to imagine a middle-aged man weep loudly.

According to a research team at the University of South Florida published a paper in 2009, control groups showed better feeling and metal state after crying. According to their findings, blubbering and sobbing slowed down their breath, and eased stress as well. Indeed, sadness should also be cherished just like happiness. Would there ever be a life without sorrows? Of course, delightful nudges and happy virus are always welcome, but times are hard these days. A friend nearby would be perfect, telling me it is okay to cry when we are down and low.