ABSTRACT
Women cry more frequently and more intensely than men (see chapter 6, this volume; Vingerhoets and Scheirs, 2000). Several factors explaining these gender differences in crying have been proposed, mainly focusing on differences in socialization and a possible differential exposure to stressful experiences, both unwanted (e.g., because of a greater emotional involvement with others) and wanted (e.g., a high interest in watching sad or melodramatic movies). The conclusion that these factors are most relevant is often based without justification on findings that show that the sex difference in crying is not there from birth. We will consider that the lack of sex differences in crying in newborns does not necessarily refute the role of biological factors as at least a partial explanation for the observed sex differences in adult crying.
