Bring on the waterworks! Are we really more likely to cry on planes? | Cruising Altitude

There was a brief period in my adult life when I cried on every flight I took. Random things would set me off, the most ridiculous of these being the 2005 animated film “Robots.”

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great movie with an excellent voice cast: Mel Brooks and Robin Williams? I should really rewatch it. But that doesn't exactly justify the waterworks.

Talking to friends and colleagues over the years, I’ve learned I’m far from alone. Almost everyone I know has a story of crying unexpectedly while flying.

So, is this a bona fide trend or all in our heads? Turns out, maybe a little of both.

Do we cry more on planes?

Not officially, no.

Numerous academic studies show that statistically, there’s not an appreciable increase in the rate of tears on airplanes compared to on the ground.

But that doesn’t mean you won’t have heightened emotions when you travel.

Albert Boquet, a professor of human factors and behavioral neurobiology at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University told me that travel itself can be stressful for many.

“For the passengers, there’s no doubt that there’s anxiety, frustration, these types of things,” he said. “You have to consider that you have when you look at passengers in general, that’s a very wide range of individuals. You have people who are regular travelers and how they experience travel is different than people who only do it occasionally.”

Several factors can contribute to travel-related stress and anxiety.

“We’re tired, we’re not eating as we normally would, we’re not sleeping as we normally would ... All of those things that make us a little more vulnerable to our emotions,” Jennifer Cheavens, a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University told me. “We’re more vulnerable to our emotions when we’re outside of our schedule or how we would normally take care of ourselves.”

Cheavens added that the reasons for travel can also play a role in a flyer’s emotional state. For example, if you’re traveling for a funeral or leaving loved ones behind, you may feel more emotional than you normally would at home.

Certainly, when I started crying at “Robots,” it was because I was on my way home from a meaningful reporting trip.

Cheavens said many travelers have a fear of flying, and that can lead to heightened emotions, too.

“There’s also an anonymity on planes, it’s like being online, which is strange because you’re sitting closer to strangers than you probably are at other times in your life,” she said. Not knowing the people you’re shoulder to shoulder with can sometimes make it easier to let the tears flow. Those same close quarters can be a contributing factor to the heightened emotions as well because limited personal space can increase stress for some travelers.

“There’s been a reduction in services, a reduction in space,” Boquet said. “That in and of itself is stressful.”

One thing that’s not a factor, however, is cabin pressurization.

“If you just step back and look at the process of flying today, you can see what the stressors are,” Boquet said. “It’s not the level of altitude in the cabin, it’s all the attendant things of flying.”

A long line at security is one of the most common things passengers report being a major stress factor in their travels, according to Boquet.

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How to cope with your inflight feelings

Cheavens said there are lots of ways to address heightened emotions when you fly.

“Have snacks, make sure you’re sleeping well going into the situation,” she said. “You can definitely distract yourself, which is a really useful way to regulate your emotions, watching a movie, watching a funny movie, something that pulls from the opposite way of your emotion.”

Other activities like reading, and playing games can also help, so long as they’re not too emotionally heavy.

And if your anxiety is more about the flight itself, coping mechanisms like breathing exercises and reminding yourself that flying is a very safe mode of transportation can help, too.

Boquet added that planning ahead can make you feel more prepared on your travel days.

“Check in online if you can, pay attention to how you pack, pack early, have your go-bags ready. Whatever you can do to facilitate is going to streamline the process for you,” he said. “Understanding there are going to be hiccups helps you deal with the frustration of that.”

Go on, let it out

All that said, sometimes it’s better just to lean into what you’re feeling.

“Don’t try to keep it from happening and don’t judge it,” Cheavens said. There’s nothing wrong with crying if you feel like you need to, and so long as you’re able to keep it mostly to yourself, no one has a right to give you a hard time about it.

Still, Cheavans added, it’s not good to get too passionately emotional on a plane. Crying is OK, but more disruptive outbursts cross the line. Don’t let your emotions get the better of you and make you a perpetrator of air rage. That can lead to serious consequences and ruin the journey for everyone.

“Be considerate of other people when you travel because everybody’s in the same boat,” Boquet said.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why do I cry on planes? It's complicated. | Cruising Altitude