When people reunite with their loved ones, it's usually an wildly happy moment. But what is their most common response to seeing them again? It may seem strange, but most of the time they break down in tears.
Now a group of psychologists (心理学家) from Yale University in the US say they have found the reason why and that crying tears of joy may well be the body's way of restoring emotional balance.
"They seem to take place when people are unable to tolerate strong positive emotions, and people who do this seem to recover better from those strong emotions," Oriana Aragon, the lead researcher, told The Telegraph.
Aragon and her fellow psychologists looked at hundreds of participants' emotional responses to different things, including happy reunions (重逢) and cute babies.
Many participants said they would react in a negative or aggressive way to the positive things---- to cry at happy moments and want to pinch (捏) a cute baby's face or even tell them "I want to eat you up!"
But then researchers found that these people were able to calm down from strong emotions more quickly.
"We want a happy, middle spot. Extreme is not good. It's hard on our bodies," Aragon told the Washington Post.
There are many other examples of times when people respond to a positive experience with a negative emotional reaction.
At an exciting concert, fans scream in horror at their idols. People who have just had a big lottery win(中奖)are often in floods of tears.
"These findings advance our understanding of how people express and control their emotions, which is importantly related to mental and physical health, the quality of relationships with others, and even how well people work together," said Aragon.
The psychologists then went further and claimed that the reverse (颠倒过来) was also true. Strong negative feelings may also bring out positive expressions.
For example, people often laugh when they are nervous or they are in a difficult or frightening situation.
Also, have you ever seen a character smiling at a time of extreme sadness in a movie? Their acting is not over the top, as reacting with this type of expression is just human nature, said researchers.
1. What does the underlined word, “they”, in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. A group of psychologists. B. People’s loved ones.
C. Strong positive emotions. D. Crying tears of joy.
2. We can conclude from the first two paragraphs that ______.
A. Crying in the happy moment can also do good.
B. a character’s smile in a movie makes no sense
C. people reveal their emotions by either crying or laughing
D. negative emotional reaction is always harmful
3. Which of the following words best describes the language style of the passage?
A. Academic and formal. B. Cheerful and friendly.
C. Humourous and concerned. D. Serious and boring.
4. What would be the best title for the passage？
A. People’s Crying and Laughing
B. We Cry in the Happy Time?
C. Is Crying Better Than Laughing?
D. The Function of Tears