Now, blubber to shed blubber before bedtime

English is a language of delightfully infuriating inconsistencies. No wonder the phrase ‘a good cry’ also has an alter ego in ‘a good laugh’ and novices could resort to both in the process of trying to understand the nuances of English.

Examining these phrases from a health perspective rather than a linguistic one also elicits equal validation, given recent research suggesting bawling before bedtime helps lose weight.

Common cathartic benefits of crying are well-known and the occasions that trigger it are also obvious. But the best time to cry — between 7pm and 10pm — has never been identified before, nor has a connection between shedding weight and shedding tears been sought to be causally linked before.



That only ‘psychic’ tears (caused by genuine emotion, not glycerine or pollution) enhance production of cortisol that burns calories may disappoint some as crocodile tears will then not cut it. But for those not amused by the idea of sadness on tap, another oxymoronic English idiom may help: tears of happiness.

Indians, of course, are familiar with the benefits of hahas at dawn — given the increasing popularity of ‘morning laughers’ in city parks around the country — but boohoos at dusk is a new one. If calorie-conscious citizenry take to this idea, health clubs and gymnasiums could perhaps offer weepaway-weight packages.