Tears of joy among post-college-age Japanese adults: implications for resilience

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to follow up an earlier investigation which examined tears of joy (TOJ) among Japanese undergraduates. In the present investigation, 193 Japanese adults (age range = 31 to above 81; 46.7% were older than age 60) responded to a survey inquiring if they had ever experienced TOJ. If they answered affirmatively, they were asked their frequency of TOJ, when was their most recent TOJ episode, and to what extent it relieved their stress and improved their physical well-being immediately afterwards. The vast majority (83.4%) had experienced TOJ in their life. However, TOJ frequency was sharply divergent: although 38% reported TOJ in the past month, 26.1% had not experienced TOJ in over 12 months. Consistent with previous studies, TOJ frequency was significantly associated with high self-reported emotionality compared to peers. For men, TOJ frequency was associated with self-reported effectiveness in coping with stress. Among participants in middle adulthood (age = 41 to 60) but not later adulthood (age 61 and older), TOJ frequency was associated with both stress relief and enhanced physical well-being after a TOJ episode. The implications for strengthening resilience among post-college-age Japanese are discussed and avenues for further research are highlighted.