The power of crying

 

the_power_of_crying.mp3
the_power_of_crying.pdf

6 Minute English

The power of crying

Neil

Hello This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English I’m Neil

Sam

And I’m Sam

Neil

?Do you cry easily, Sam? I mean, when was the last time you cried

Sam

Let me think… Last week watching a movie, probably I was watching a really

dramatic film and in one scene, the heroine gets separated from her children I

?just burst out crying How about you Neil - when was the last time you cried

Neil

Men don’t cry, Sam

Sam

Come on, Neil! That’s a bit stereotypical, isn’t it? – the idea that men don’t show

their emotions and women cry all the time

Neil

Well, that’s an interesting point, Sam, because in today’s programme we’re

discussing crying We’ll be investigating the reasons why we cry and looking at

some of the differences between men and women and between crying in public

and in private And of course, we’ll be learning some related vocabulary along

the way

Sam

I guess it’s kind of true that women do cry more than men People often think

crying is only about painful feelings but we also cry to show joy and when we are

moved by something beautiful like music or a painting

Neil

So, maybe women are just more in touch with their feelings and that’s why they

cry more Well actually, Sam, that brings me to our quiz question According to a

study from 2017 conducted in the UK, on average, how many times a year do

women cry? Is it:

a) 52

b) 72, or

c) 102

Sam

Hmm, it's a tricky question, Neil I mean, there are so many different reasons why

people cry And what makes me cry might make someone else laugh I think

some of my female friends probably cry around once a week, so I‘ll guess the

answer is a) 52

Neil

OK, Sam We’ll find out later if you were right Now, while it may be true that

men cry less often, it also seems that they feel less embarrassed about crying in

public

Sam

This may be because of differences in how men and women think others will view

their public displays of emotion Here’s BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour speaking to

therapist Joanna Cross about the issue of crying at work

Joanna Cross

Let’s take the workplace If you’ve got somebody who seems to cry regularly, I

think that’s not helpful for the individual because then if they cry over something

that really is important to them, they might not be taken so seriously - or they

get a label But I do think crying is often a build-up of frustration and undealt[1]with situations and it’s a bit of a final straw moment

Neil

So people who regularly cry at work risk not being taken seriously – not being

treated as deserving attention or respect

Sam

And they might even get a label – become thought of as having a

:particular character, whether that’s true or not Here’s Joanna Cross again

Joanna Cross

You build up your resentments, your lack of boundaries, not being able to say

‘no’ and then somebody says, ‘Can you go and make a cup of tea?’ and you

?suddenly find yourself weeping And everybody says, ‘What’s wrong with her’

but actually that’s often a backlog of situations

Neil

So, a common reason for crying at work seems to be a build-up of resentments -

feelings of anger when you think you have been treated unfairly or have been

forced to accept something you don’t like

Sam

When left undealt with, these feelings can create a backlog - an accumulation of

issues that you should have dealt with before but didn’t

Neil

Right And then, like Joanna says, someone asks you to do something very simple

and easy, like make a cup of tea, and you start weeping – another word for

crying

Sam

That’s a good example of a final straw moment, a term which comes from the

expression, ‘The straw that broke the camel’s back’ The final straw means a

further problem which itself might be insignificant but which finally makes you

want to give up

Neil

I hope this programme won’t be the final straw for us, Sam

Sam

I doubt it, Neil The only time I cry at work is when you used to bring in your

onion sandwiches for lunch In fact, I can feel a tear rolling down my cheek right

now…

Neil

Ah, so that counts as one of your cries, Sam Remember, I asked you on average

how many times a year women in the UK cry – and you said?

Sam

I said a) 52

Neil

Well, don’t cry when I tell you that you were wrong The actual answer was c) 72

times a year

Sam

Which on average is more than men, but less than parents of new-born babies,

both mothers and fathers They cry almost as much as their babies!

Neil

Today, we’ve been talking about crying – or weeping, as it’s sometimes called

Sam

People who often cry at work risk not being taken seriously – not treated as

deserving of attention or respect

Neil

This means they might get a label – becoming known as someone with a

particular kind of personality, even though that may not be true

Sam

But crying is also a healthy way of expressing emotions It can help deal with

resentments – feelings of anger that you have been treated unfairly

Neil

If we don’t deal with these feelings in some way, they can grow into a backlog –

an accumulation of unresolved issues that you now need to deal with

Sam

And if you don’t deal with them, you might become a ticking bomb waiting to

explode Then anything someone says to you can become the final straw – the

last small problem which makes you want to give up and maybe start crying

Neil

[Crying]

Sam

?What’s the matter, Neil? Was it something I said?

Neil

No, Sam – I’m crying because it’s the end of the programme!

Sam

Ahh, don’t worry because we’ll be back soon for another edition of 6 Minute

English But bye for now

Neil

Bye

VOCABULARY

be taken seriously

be treated as being deserving of attention or respect

get a label

be thought of as having a particular character or nature, often unfairly

final straw

further problem or difficulty, usually minor in itself, which comes after a series of

other problems and makes you want to give up

resentments

feelings of anger because you think you have been treated unfairly or because

you have been forced to accept something that you don’t like

weeping

crying tears

backlog

accumulation of uncompleted matters that you should have dealt with before

and must now do

رمز عبورتان را فراموش کرده‌اید؟

ثبت کلمه عبور خود را فراموش کرده‌اید؟ لطفا شماره همراه یا آدرس ایمیل خودتان را وارد کنید. شما به زودی یک ایمیل یا اس ام اس برای ایجاد کلمه عبور جدید، دریافت خواهید کرد.

بازگشت به بخش ورود

کد دریافتی را وارد نمایید.

بازگشت به بخش ورود

تغییر کلمه عبور

تغییر کلمه عبور

حساب کاربری من

سفارشات

مشاهده سفارش