
Crying offers “near-magical benefits” for mental and physical health, says Tanner Garrity in Inside Hook. All of us – particularly men – should do it more. Women cry five times more often than men, and they cry for longer, typically six minutes per blub compared to just three for men. Crying releases oxytocin, a natural pain reliever that makes us feel calmer and more content. It also dials down the stress hormone cortisol. In fact, tears are “swimming with stress hormones”, which get flushed out during a good cry.
The Japanese shed fewer tears than anyone else in the world, which gave Japanese entrepreneur Hiroki Terai an idea. He used to organise “divorce ceremonies” for parting couples in need of closure, watching clients cry during his sessions, then leave feeling “refreshed and at peace”. So he gave it a name – rui-katsu, meaning “tear-seeking” – and started a new business a decade ago. Japanese adults attend rui-katsu sessions across Tokyo, where they watch “sad movies, heartwarming ads, people losing their pets”, and shed a health-giving tear.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s favourite leggings

Everyone is raving about a pair of £1,129 leggings that soothe “workout-weary legs”, says Peta Bee in The Times. Fans include Cristiano Ronaldo, Mo Farah and Ally Love, a Peloton instructor with nearly 800,000 Instagram followers. Therabody RecoveryAir compression pants “hiss to inflate”, then “squeeze you like a tube of toothpaste with progressive pulsating” from your feet up to your thighs. The idea is to endure this “mild discomfort” for 15 minutes up to four times a week.
The leggings promise to boost oxygen circulation and accelerate muscle repair, like a sports massage. “It certainly feels as though I have been pummelled – in a good way”. Yet there’s no evidence that intermittent pneumatic compression has any long-term fitness benefits. There’s also a risk that the growing trend for recovery products means you could spend more time recuperating than exercising. After foam rolling, ice bathing, applying CBD balm and taking a beetroot shot, “who has much time left to work out”?
Get The Knowledge in your inbox
We cut through the noise to give you the news you need – in just five minutes a day. Sign up for our free daily newsletter here.