Eli5: Why is it so difficult to form words when we’re crying?
In: Biology
Speaking is voluntary, meaning you do it on purpose, like walking or clapping.
Crying is involuntary, like a sneeze, or squinting when the sun is bright.
When you’re crying, the same tools you use for speaking (breathing, voice) are already being used by involuntary crying. And trying to use them for speaking is hard because you can’t easily shut off involuntary processes.
So speaking while crying is like trying to keep your eyes open while looking at the sun, or sneezing——the involuntary processes are stopping you from using the voluntary ones.
No psychologist but it feels like it’s because your emotions pretty much take center stage
Your trying to let the cry out as you speak and multitasking while crying isn’t too easy
Not a medical expert or anything but I think it’s because you’re finding it hard to breathe. If you’re crying intensely your heart rate is probably a little high too. It would be like running then trying to talk, it’s taking more effort than normal to breathe because your heart is racing, so you’re having a hard time getting words out
perhaps it’s because you’re so overwhelmed on focus on how you’re feeling that it makes it harder to form words and to speak.
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