I Guess Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Were Kind of Right

Blogging, happiness, humor, lessons learned, music 1 Minute

Back in 1962, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons came out with the song “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

As it turns out, Frankie and company may have been on to something.

Well, sort of.

According to a poll of 2,004 Americans, men cry on average about four times a month. Women, on the other hand, weep about three times in a given month. That’s 48 times a year for men and only 36 for women. (see how good I am at math…)

So while the survey doesn’t suggest that big girls don’t cry, they do cry less than big boys.

Even though I am someone who cries quite easily at a lot of stuff – the ending of Mr. Holland’s Opus, watching Bruce Springsteen sing Incident on 57th Street live, or picking up a new WordPress follower, I’ve always thought I was an exception compared to most other guys.

Well, it feels good to know that I’m not alone.

I do have to admit I was surprised that the study showed that men cry more often than women; it’s probably a stereotype I’ve had since I was six years old.

And it was a double stereotype – I thought girls cried, and boys didn’t.

It’s always nice to learn something new, especially when it dispels a long-held belief that had no basis in fact.

So now I won’t feel so bad crying the next time I see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

And I guess it’s time to spill the beans – I wasn’t rubbing my eyes earlier today because they were itchy; I was just responding like any guy would when he picks up four new blog followers in one day…

*image from YouTube

Published by Jim Borden

A 60-something guy trying to figure out the world, and his place in it. Happily married for 40-plus years, three wonderful sons. Accounting teacher, fitness enthusiast, blogger, reader.

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65 thoughts on “I Guess Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Were Kind of Right”

  1. I am surprised by that survey but … its good to have sentimental guys around! Plus crying is good for you. Though there are times I wish I wouldn’t tear up as easily as I do! I was crying at Grey’s Anatomy the other night, and of course my hubby is just looking at me shaking his head. “Its just a show!” But…but…!
    Maybe “big girls don’t cry”, but… I am not a big girl, sooo… I am allowed to.

    Liked by 4 people

  2. I can say that this is true in my house. My husband and son both cry a lot easier and more often than I do. And if I picked up 4 followers in one day I wouldn’t cry but I may have an accident in my pants.

    Liked by 3 people

  3. Interesting study! I tear up sometimes at movies or TV shows. It seems like four times a month is high but who knows. I’d have no idea how to answer a survey question like that. The authors of the study should next determine why men cry and why women cry. I’d bet it is for different reasons. If I cried for new followers it would certainly be less than four times a month.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. “picking up a new WordPress follower” 😭🤣

    I’m very shocked by this study. I took believed in that stereotype that women cry more than men. I thought you were gonna say women cry 3x a day compared to men who cry 4x a month 🤣 that would be more accurate for me!

    Liked by 2 people

  7. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve turned into a big sap, but I’m surprised by the frequency of men’s crying habits. Four times a month? Now, I want to know what they’re crying about? Property taxes? Dog food commercials? Not winning the lottery? One of Borden’s blog posts? So many possibilities.

    Liked by 3 people

  11. I find this hard to believe. The Astros just totally stunk up the world series and I didn’t cry at that and if I didn’t cry at that, I don’t know what else there is to cry at that doesn’t involve the death of a relative or dog.

    I am usually in a house of 4 or more females. There is almost always someone crying around here.

    I don’t know, I guess I don’t really have enough data to dispute this, but it doesn’t seem right to me.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Oh gosh! Well hey, I don’t cry over baseball games either.i save the tears for more important things like “Grey’s Anatomy” and movies and books and the list could go on.
      The crying females in your house are probably crying over your puns. 😛
      But I have to say that I dispute this survey too. Women do tend to be a tad more emotional than guys!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. I don’t think my son has cried since he was a child. Not even over the Steelers’ abysmal draft choices, perpetual poor clock management, or blowing their undefeated season last year. I’m sending him this study.

    Liked by 3 people

  13. ! FOUR ! times a month?? I’ve always considered myself a pretty sensitive guy but I’d put myself in a four times a year category. You sure you didn’t read that wrong?

    Liked by 2 people

      2. or you are trying to keep the household average of crying down a bit…

        by the ay, I was able to pick up a four-pack of BrewDog Hazy AF. You’d never know it was AF. This seems to taste more like an IPA, and I am more of a lager guy, so I’ll have to try their other AFs as well. Thanks for the tip!

        Liked by 1 person

      3. THe other two brewdog af beers I tried were Elvis and Punk. Both have strong hoppy flavors but these two also have grapefruit undertones (or overtones in the case of Elvis). Neither is remotely lager-like. After my post, a blogger sang the praises of Athlectic AF beer. They may have a lager in their line up. Glad I could pass the word. For selfish reasons, I want the AF line to do well.

        Liked by 1 person

  17. I am a crier, but not just when I’m sad, I cry when I’m happy and sometimes when I’m angry, even during or after a good movie. I always cry after watching Its a Wonderful Life! It annoys me but that’s how I am.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I think most of my crying is tears of joy – a beautiful song, a happy ending to a movie. but a sad movie can get me going as well.

      I am the same way with It’s a Wonderful Life, every year…

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I think women are often the glue of the family and have to be strong for everyone. There is no crying in baseball syndrome? There are those times the floodgates open, like at the end of my favorite movie, “Field of Dreams.” Yes, I cried at “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

    Liked by 1 person

  22. Little girls as well as big girls will cry. My three daughters proved that to me. But in fairness, most guys (regardless of age) can shed a few tears just as often. There are certain films which always trigger such a response, and any father (or grandfather) shouldn’t be ashamed to cry with joy from the birth of a child.

    Liked by 2 people

  24. Your previous post made ME cry! This one mostly reminds me of the Holly Hunter character in Broadcast who, as I recall, had a good cry every morning to start her day, or something like that. My ex cried pretty often, and often for reasons I couldn’t see, In hindsight, as THE END of the divorce is tantalizingly close, I’ll just chalk those incidents up to his “fragile male ego.”

    Liked by 1 person

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