Based on “Mary Wants To Know: The Stark Truth About Men’s Tears in 2025 Australia” (News.com.au)
Men continue to feel uneasy when asked when they last cried, which highlights why men cry less often today. This discomfort isn’t about crying alone — it reflects early emotional conditioning, identity pressure, and the restricted emotional range linked to male alexithymia.
Why Men Struggle With Tears Today
In the News.com.au article, a simple question — “When was the last time you cried?” — unsettled almost every man interviewed. To understand why men cry so rarely in adulthood, the reporting is useful.
Some said they hadn’t cried since primary school. Others deflected, shrugged, or justified tears only “if he knew the dead person.” The tension wasn’t about sadness itself — it was about being seen interacting with sadness.
Women interviewed had the opposite response. They named recent tears easily and viewed crying as normal, healthy, and even attractive. The contrast shows the mixed messages still shaping men’s emotional behaviour.
What the News Reporting Reveals
- Emotional Avoidance Is Learnt Early
Many men grew up without emotional modelling. Sadness wasn’t named or encouraged, so tears became confronting. - Masculinity Still Polices Emotion
Several men linked crying with weakness. Phrases like “grow up” or “shut up” reflect an old masculinity code: hold it in, stay solid. - Women Expect Emotional Access — Men Fear the Cost
Women saw tears as a connection. Men feared judgement, embarrassment, or being misunderstood. - Men Who Cry Often Struggle to Reach That Point
Some men wished they could cry more but found it difficult — not from lack of emotion, but from a narrowed emotional range.
Why This Matters for Men’s Emotional Health
When men can’t access tears—and when we look at why men cry less than they feel, the issue rarely ends with crying.
It narrows emotional capacity.
This is where we see:
- numbness and flat affect
- irritability under stress
- explosive anger
- distancing in relationships
- alexithymia — difficulty naming or identifying feelings
When sadness can’t surface, everything else becomes distorted.
The Takeaway
Men aren’t emotionless — they’re conditioned away from recognising what hurts.
Reclaiming emotional range isn’t about crying more.
It’s about getting your footing back inside your own internal signals.
If you want to understand why men cry and regain steadiness and clarity, talk it through.
To read more on how Australian men deal with grief, see Male Grief in Australia: How Men Reclaim Themselves.