ABSTRACT
We see far more women than men shedding tears on television, in movies, in novels, on paintings, and in everyday life. Although there is no doubt that women cry more often than men, little is known about the major determinants of this difference. Do women encounter more severe negative events? Do they have a lower threshold for crying? Are they more often in negative moods that make them cry, or are their hormones the main cause of their frequent crying? And, finally, is there a relationship with the sex differential in health? In the present chapter various, mainly social, determinants will be considered. We will start with the question how large and robust the sex difference in crying is.
