(21-4-2021). It is a more than usual image at the finish line of a competition. Runners and runners, crying. Letting her emotions flow in a sea of tears. "Running stimulates brain activity, which usually leads to emotional intensity," says neuroscientist and master's degree in sports psychology Carla Alfonso. There are several factors that justify the sources from which this torrent drinks and lives. Crying is part of the high that any runner experiences.
Traditionally, crying has been considered a sign of weakness in modern societies. And, specifically, a gender plus has even been attributed to it: men cannot cry. Luckily, this trend of macho, alpha males has changed in recent decades. Seeing a person crying, whether male or female, does not have to be related to virility or strength. And it is that, as expressed by the Spanish writer and sociologist Concepción Arenal, "crying is, sometimes, the way of expressing things that cannot be said with words." A universal language, then.
At the finish of a race, the face is, more than ever, the mirror of the soul. "It's part of the game," admits sports psychologist Carla Alfonso. With the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, "we can experience episodes of this type more often." Not only in races as extreme as a marathon. "When we do sports, we connect with our body, and, in that sense, it can open the door to emotions that have been stored away." Kept too long. Like in a litany. "The music, the atmosphere and the experiences are the spring that lets them out."
But what scientific explanation is there for crying while running? We questioned Carla. "When we run or when we play sports, we release a series of substances (neurotransmitters, hormones...), which can cause various responses in the body on a physical and emotional level." One of these specific responses "may be crying," says the specialist. "Many times it is due to the release of tensions or emotions that had not been expressed." And of this "we could write an encyclopedia today", he agrees, explaining that "crying has the power to calm". And satiate
“Sports hurt, we already know that”, says Carla Alfonso reflectively. "With this pain caused by physical exercise, we can access neural circuits that deal with pain." And some of these circuits "are shared between physical and mental pain, so that, by activating the circuit via physical exercise, we also give rise to expressing mental pain, and crying and sobbing can come from there." In the same way, "we should not worry either if we have never cried", since each person is a particular world that responds in different ways to the same stimuli.
Therefore, if you cry easily or have done so on occasion, you should not feel like a rare bird. "It's totally normal." Even more "in the situation of uncertainty that we are experiencing and in which there are many people who use running as an escape route to combat stress and anxiety," says the promoter of the Neuroathleta project (a project that seeks to improve the sports performance from psychology and neuroscience). "With the substances released during the effort, conditioned by our day to day, emotions emerge more easily."
Many studies throughout history have shown that aerobic exercise can be as effective or more effective than antidepressants in treating depression. depression, as the specialist tells us. So for these types of people who are running to escape current stress and anxiety, "it makes a lot of sense that they can bring up some of these emotions during the race." And more if it is about competitions that have been prepared for months and months. "The explosion of tears does not stop being nothing more than a liberation of our interior". And it is that, sometimes, crying repairs more than laughter.
The sobs are not so much related to the distance covered, but rather to "effort relative to our fitness standards." In this sense, "it may be more common to see athletes shed tears in a marathon than in a 10K test." However, sobs are not directly related to distance. As Carla commented, "they depend more on what a certain career can mean for us." And here the personal motives of each one come into play. "Running for a reason, for a family member, in relation to a personal challenge...", which give strength to this sea.
There are many runners who are going out for a run without a specific goal in 2021. Despite this, the minutes of jogging allow them to move away, for a long time, those worries of daily life, "more than ever", details the sports psychologist. And that "is already a challenge in itself." Now, if we take a look at the future, when we recover our micro world of racing, 2022 "could become a great ocean of tears", instructs Carla, with a smile, to close. Let everyone cry for what they want. Even "for whatever he wants", which was written by the poet Federico García Lorca.
Contact information: www.neuroathleta.com
Great article. As you say, physical and mental pain go hand in hand, and often this is reflected in crying. The situation we are experiencing today leaves no one indifferent and, in fact, sport is a wonderful escape route for all those people who practice it to escape and de-stress. Therefore, it is always advisable to practice physical activity in order to treat mental problems such as depression, among others.
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