Gender and individual differences in adult crying

This study reports on gender and individual differences in adult crying. A total of 105 subjects filled out a questionnaire on adult crying (Vingerhoets, 1995) and two personality inventories, the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO-PI-R) (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and the Five-factor Personality Inventory (FFPI) (Hendriks et al., 1995). The results showed that gender and personality substantially and independently contribute to the variance in weeping frequency. Women cry more often and perceive weeping more as a coping style. Neuroticism proved to be considerably correlated with weeping frequency and weeping as a coping style, even after partialling out the effects of gender and age. Extraversion was correlated with relief and positive feelings after crying. These results are discussed in the context of an ongoing international study on adult crying.