When babies are hungry, they will cry to show their feelings. When children and grown-ups are sad, they may cry to feel better. However, some people think crying is a bad thing because it may be bad for their health. In fact, it is healthy to have some tears. According to the studies, some health problems have something to do with not crying enough. Sometimes people need to cry more because it helps them to get well.

Different cultures have different ideas about crying. The people in Indonesia think crying—unless done by a person who has lost a close friend—is unhealthy, causing health problems. In some other cultures, people cry together usually when they are afraid of something and in times of sadness. Here are two interesting studies about crying.

A study of 5,000 people in 35 countries made by Professor (教授) Ad Vingerhoets found that women usually cried between 30 and 64 times a year, and men usually cried 6 to 17 times a year. Vingerhoets thinks that women’s higher prolactin levels (催乳素水平) may cause women to cry more. Prolactin levels are higher in pregnancy (怀孕) .

According to another study, when 150 women were watching the film Steel Magnolias, scientists found 22 percent of them cried and the others didn’t. Those who cried felt more sadness for a long time. The study said crying can make people sadder, and a took people longer to get well.

Crying may make people feel better only if it helps with their problems. Studies show comfort from one person does make people feel that crying is a good idea. So next time you don’t feel good, you can talk with your friend and cry out to make yourself feel better!

Everyday is afraid of something.

Tommy, 11, is afraid of the dark. Rachel, 11, is most afraid of the big jellyfish (水母)in Australia. Morgan, 9, wishes she would stop being afraid to ride a bike on busy streets.

What’s fear? Fear is a feeling that everyone has, and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us. When the fear comes, it means we may meet something dangerous.

For the fear of dark, a kid could have much imagination. What’s under my bed? Is there someone breaking into (闯入)my house ? With the help of a parent, kids can get more comfortable in the dark. Using a night light to see that there’s nothing can also help fight that fear.

For other fears, we needn’t fight. If you’re afraid to ride your bike on a busy street, you’re right! You should be afraid because it’s dangerous. There’s no need to fight a fear like that. Find a better place to ride.

It’s also OK for Rachel to be afraid of the big jellyfish because it’s really dangerous. But it lives only in some waters. So when she’s not swimming in one of them, there should be no worries about the big jellyfish.

Here is some advice about fighting fears from kids.

Monique,10, says when you are scared, just think about happy times. Eight-year-old Jessica finds that taking a deep breath helps when you’re scared. Amanda, 10, thinks kids should talk with a parent . Dustin, 11, likes to talk with a group of friends.

Do you choose to watch a happy movie or a sad movie when feeling sad or down? I advise you not to watch a happy movie. A sad movie may be right for you.

Scientists at Ohio State University, the US, have found that sad movies can make people happier. They published (刊登) their study in a magazine called Communication Research.

Scientists asked some college students to watch a sad movie called Atonement. The movie tells a story of two lovers who were separated (分离的). They died during World War II at the end of the movie. The college students answered questions from the scientists before, after and three times during the movie because the scientists wanted to know about the students’ different feelings, including the feeling of sadness.

The result showed that people felt better after watching the sad movie. Scientists believed that it was because the movie made the students think about their own lives. Compared with those unlucky lovers in the movie, they thought their life was full of hope.

Silvia Knobloch—Westerwick, the leader of the study, explained that bad feelings would make people more thoughtful. “Good feelings are generally a sign that everything is fine. You don’t have to worry, and you don’t have to think about problems in your life.” she said. “But bad feelings, like sadness, make you feel terrible about your situation. So seeing a sad movie may make you feel bad at first, but that will cause you to think more about your own life and then you will value it more and finally feel much happier.”