Eli5: Why is it so difficult to form words when we’re crying?

Question

Eli5: Why is it so difficult to form words when we’re crying?

In: Biology

Answer 1

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.