A Guy Shares 15 Things That Can Make Men Cry

As a guy, I’ll admit that most of us aren’t exactly free and open with our emotions and we tend to bottle up our feelings, for better or worse. However, believe it or not, guys are capable of tapping into their feelings. In fact, we sometimes get to the point that our emotions move us to tears. Even if you’ve never seen a guy cry before (not that you’re missing out on anything), here are some things that are capable of turning on the waterworks for us.

1. Spicy foods This probably isn’t what you were expecting on a list of things that make men cry, but tears are tears, right? Most of us don’t always think things out ahead of time, so we don’t always consider the potential consequences of eating food that’s way too spicy. As a result, eating can make us cry.
2. Certain songs Every guy is different, but most of us have a song or two that will make us cry, at least sometimes. It could be “In My Life” by the Beatles or “Everybody Hurts” by R.E.M. But most guys have at least one song that gets them.
3. The series finale of our favorite show This can depend on the show, but series finales are meant to be tearjerkers, right? If a guy has invested years into watching a certain show, it can be emotional when it comes to an end. I’m not saying that will happen, but it’s possible.
4. Getting dumped with no warning If you’re trying to get a guy to cry, dump him out of the blue. Obviously, this won’t work with a short-term relationship. He’ll have to be invested in the relationship for ending it to hurt him. But if you completely blindside him, there’s a good chance he’ll cry.
5. A long relationship ending Even if we know it’s coming, seeing a long-term relationship end can bring men to tears, as I’m sure it does for women as well. You must know that guys always expect their long-term relationship to last forever, so when it doesn’t, it’s a crushing blow to both our ego and psyche, leading to tears.
6. Seeing our bride at the end of the aisle Women aren’t the only ones who can get emotional on their wedding day. For some guys, the sight of their bride about to walk down the aisle can bring a tear or two to their eye. In fact, if he doesn’t, you might want to question whether or not you should be marrying him (just kidding, it’s way too late for that).
7. Death of a pet If a guy is close with one of his parents or a sibling who passes away, he’ll most likely shed some tears (though if he doesn’t, he’ll be holding all that pain inside). However, it’s virtually guaranteed to happen if he has a pet that dies. I’m not smart enough to explain the difference between the two, but the death of a pet will get a guy every time.
8. Sports injuries In fairness, this is probably because of physical pain rather than emotions. But again, tears are tears. If a guy continues to play rec league sports like YMCA basketball past his prime years, he’ll be prone to injuries that can be both painful and embarrassing. It could be a concussion or a torn-up knee. It could even be a ball hitting him in the groin. Any of those things could certainly lead to tears.
9. The right movie I want to make clear that I’m not talking about The Notebook or other chick flicks. However, movies like Miracle, Homeward Bound, Big Fish, or Field of Dreams have all been known to make guys cry.
10. Listening to war stories There’s something about war stories that break a guy down to his core and hits at his emotions. It could be one of his friends coming back from a war zone or an old relative talking about a past war. Listening to war stories will grab a guy’s attention and get him in touch with his emotions at the same time.
11. Recognizing our own mortality This could come with the death of a relative or another way, but being reminded of our own mortality can definitely bring on some tears. A lot of guys are confident, cocky, and can sometimes feel invincible. When we’re reminded of death, all of that goes away, at least temporarily. It’s a shock and can cause some of us to cry.
12. The birth of our child A guy may not cry when he learns he’s going to become a father, but there’s a good chance he’ll do so when he actually becomes one. If he’s actually invested in having a family, seeing his child born will be an emotional experience that will likely lead to tears.
13. The end of a playoff game Yeah, guys cry during sporting events, deal with it. You may not like or understand it but it happens. Whether our team wins or loses, a big game coming to an end in dramatic fashion can cause us to cry. Just please don’t make fun of us afterward.
14. Realizing we’ve found “The One” For guys, there’s always a moment when we realize that we’ve found the person we want to be with forever. I can’t guarantee that this will bring a guy to tears. You may not even be present for the moment, but when it clicks with a guy that he’s found the one, it can be emotional and tears are on the table.
15. Repressing our feelings too much This is the male version of an “ugly cry.” As you may have noticed, guys tend to push our feelings away, which isn’t the healthiest thing. At a certain point, those emotions we’ve tried to repress come rushing to the surface and overwhelm us. Most of us will make an effort to do this in private, so you may not know that it happens. But if a guy doesn’t seem particularly emotional, it probably enjoys a good cry in private every now and then.