Why Are Women So Emotional? 18 Reasons They Feel Deeper than Men

If you’re a guy who wonders why women are so emotional, then you are not alone. Many others are just as frustrated as you, so here are some answers.

Many guys think that women express their emotions at an unnecessary level. Countless times, many women have completely broken down, sobbing about something not worth their time to worry about! So, why are women so emotional?

Any sad movie in existence has the potential to bring them to tears. You may watch them cry at even an advert and think, “do you not have a grip on your emotions?” To many men out there, women get emotional about things that seem don’t even seem important. [Read: How to understand the differences between men and women]

Why are women so emotional – And why all men should give emotional women a break

As a man, you may have gotten frustrated at a woman’s overt emotional display. For instance, you may remember a time when you sat there and rolled your eyes as tears were streaming from hers.

Guys, you need to cut women some slack here. Many factors can contribute to women feeling more emotionally sensitive than usual. And the same applies to anyone; holding back your emotions for too long can often lead to an even bigger freak-out when your pile-up of emotions finally gets the better of you.

However, when it comes to women, there are scientific reasons that make their emotions too strong to hold back. In a way, they have little to no control over how they react to certain things.

We can all blame biology for women being so emotional

There are many reasons why women sometimes react so emotionally, and many of them aren’t in their control. Some influences on emotional regulation can include the quality of their upbringing and whether they have gone to therapy. However, some women just are more emotionally responsive by nature.

But it’s not a bad thing if the women in your life are so emotional. While their teary-eyed outbursts may get on your nerves, it’s what makes them humans. Science says women are more inclined to show their emotions than men, and these are the reasons why.

1. They were raised to be

Many women were raised to place others’ needs and well-being before their own as society has for decades pushed the idea that women are natural caregivers.

This leads to many women being a lot more empathetic. Being told by society that they should assume the role of caregiver means that they are raised to think of others, which definitely makes them more emotional.

However, if a woman was raised in a family valuing their own progression and self-success, she might not be as emotional. [Read: Reasons why empathy is important in a relationship]

2. Hormones

It’s not a myth that some women get much more emotional around the time of their period. This part of PMS is extremely irritating, as it causes hormones to spike. For some women, even looking at a puppy can get the waterworks going just because it’s so cute.

Estrogen is the hormone responsible for causing a women’s emotions to fluctuate as they gear up for their period. This hormone is released in different amounts before their period. When there’s a lot of estrogen surging through them, they can feel anxious and tense. When those levels drop down again, they can feel depressed.

Hormones only really play a role in a woman’s emotions if there’s an imbalance of hormones. That is why some women breeze through their period without even noticing it, and others are completely incapacitated for the whole week. It completely depends on the woman!

3. They are insecure

With all of the societal pressure put on a woman to be perfect, look amazing, and be something that is just not realistic, women are basically encouraged to develop a lot of self-esteem issues.

Even if they make an attempt to hide their insecurities, they can’t hide them forever. The anxiety and fear they feel will eventually come out in a big emotional explosion.

The bad part is their partners can say only one little thing, without even realizing that they’re touching on a feeling that has been brewing for a long time. Women often won’t admit the reason they got so mad is that they feel insecure. [Read: Insecurity in the relationship – How to get over it]

4. They experienced a traumatic event

This is another reason some women might blow up about something seemingly insignificant to you. AKA, you’ll think she is being way too emotional when there is a reason behind her being so upset.

Sometimes, they may have experienced a traumatic event that is so bad that even just the mention of something related to it can cause them to flip out.

An example of this is cheating. Some women freak out about the fact their partner is staying late at work because that’s what their ex said when they cheated on her.

5. It’s in their nature to be empathetic

As we have said before, women have always been pushed to be the caretakers in society for as long as we can remember. It was always the woman’s job to cook, clean, look after the children, and make sure everyone was safe while their husbands were away.

This made women very empathetic to those around them. They can’t help being so emotional because it’s the role they have been forced to do for so long, it’s hardwired into society and women alike. So good luck changing that. [Read: How to be more empathetic and forge emotional connections]

6. Their instincts make them respond in certain ways

Here’s a little secret we’re sure you already know: women are badass. It’s their instincts making them this way and driving them to respond to threats in different ways.

Their maternal instinct specifically makes them kick into protective mode any time their family or children are in danger. This may not seem like it makes sense, but if you’ve ever made a sly comment about their family members and noticed how much they freak out and get emotional about it, now you understand why.

7. It’s more socially acceptable for women to show their emotions

What if we told you girls actually aren’t more emotional than men *besides when their hormones are all over the place*? You might not want to believe it because you want to protect your macho man status, but it’s true.

Studies of men’s brain activity show they are actually more emotional than women. But that doesn’t support society’s ideas of the ‘ideal’ macho stoic man, so men are heavily encouraged to repress their emotions.

8. Their morals can cause them to feel emotions differently

Some people don’t have very good morals, but everyone has different opinions about what is wrong and right in the world.

Those who have higher morals and believe people should treat each other kindly and with respect can feel more empathy than those who think differently. Maybe the women in your life are so emotional because they believe in different things than you do. [Read: How to quickly spot narcissistic traits in a relationship]

9. They use their brains more

If you don’t know the brain’s anatomy and what it’s responsible for, you’re probably scratching your head at this one *and may even be slightly offended if you’re a guy*. But men and women actually use different sides of their brains more than the other.

Men tend to use the left side—that’s responsible for logical thinking—more than the right side. Women have a stronger corpus callosum—the part connecting both hemispheres of the brain—and can use both sides more efficiently. This actually leads to women perceiving situations in more depth.

If women understand more of the situation and see it from more perspectives, they get more emotional based on what they’re viewing, allowing them to be more empathetic.

10. Mental illnesses

Did you know women are 40% more likely to suffer from mental illnesses than men are? When you think your woman is just being really emotional, she could be having a mental illness episode.

It could also be that she doesn’t know she has a mental illness causing her emotions to fluctuate so much. [Read: Why we need to breakdown the stigma of mental illness]

11. Genetics

While all humans have emotions, if someone is more highly emotional, it might actually have a genetic component. Studies have shown that emotions can, to a degree, be influenced by genetics. 

Although there are a lot of factors involved in a woman’s emotional regulation, human emotions can be inherited from their parents or other family lineages. For example, if a family member has a mood disorder such as depression, someone related to them might have a much higher risk of experiencing that as well.

12. Women’s brains are different than men’s

Simply put, men’s and women’s brains are just structured differently. And because of this, their brains actually function in ways that men’s brains don’t. Women use both sides of their brain, whereas men use the left side much more often. [Read: How to understand the differences between men and women]

As we said, the left side of the brain is the more logical, rational part that deals with reasoning and problem-solving.

The right side is responsible for language, creativity, facial perception, and emotions. In other words, the left side of the brain is responsible for our IQ, and the right side is responsible for our EQ *emotional IQ*.

13. Women have a more developed limbic system

The limbic system deals with human aspects such as behavior, emotions, and memory. It allows them to feel their emotions – and express them – better. This allows them to bond with other people more easily than men.

However, even though that seems like a positive thing, it can also lead to depression, especially when they are undergoing hormonal shifts during their periods and pregnancy. That’s why they can seem so emotional at those times. [Read: Emotional dependency – 20 signs you’re overly dependent on someone]

14. Women handle stress differently

The hormone oxytocin is released when someone is feeling stressed. These hormones work differently in men than in women. When men are stressed out, their testosterone reduces the effects of oxytocin, which makes them aggressive and angry.

However, women have estrogen, which enhances oxytocin. When this happens, the effects make her feel calm and nurturing.

Men are not as good at expressing their feelings and thoughts, and because of this, they react aggressively or angrily. Instead of solving things by talking, they are always ready to “fight.” On the other hand, women tend to want to talk it out so they can express their feelings that way.

15. Women feel more pain

When a person experiences pain, the amygdala, an area of the brain, is activated. This is also part of the limbic system that we discussed earlier, but it relates more to pain.

Both women and men have an amygdala, but they experience and perceive pain differently. [Read: Emotional masochist – 24 signs you’re addicted to pain and drama]

As a result, women feel more pain than men and are more vocal about it. They also tend to seek treatment for it more often. This is demonstrated by the fact that men require fewer painkillers such as morphine to achieve the same amount of pain reduction.

16. Poor sleep habits

Sleep is so important to our overall well-being, and it can affect our moods too. This also includes our ability to control our emotions. If a woman has poor sleep patterns and doesn’t get the proper amount of sleep her body needs, it has a lot of negative effects on her.

For example, lack of sleep will cause trouble thinking or concentrating, anxiety and depression, weakened immune systems, poor balance, higher risks of accidents, and inability to control your emotions. [Read: Sexy benefits of sleeping naked you had no idea about]

These risks increase the longer someone is deprived of sleep because sleep is linked to emotional regulation. Therefore, getting little sleep will cause your emotions to seem out of whack.

It can affect your mood, too, especially the longer sleep deprivation occurs. So, when women are feeling irritable or easier to get angry, they could be sleep deprived.

17. Lack of exercise

Most people know that exercise helps people stay healthy, but it can also have a huge effect on people’s moods. In general, exercise can lead to better emotional well-being, and a lack of exercise will have the opposite effect. [Read: Benefits of exercise on your mind, body, and libido]

Studies have shown that aerobic exercise has a strong effect on regulating emotions. This means that if a person feels extremely emotional, they should jump on a treadmill or go running to help them feel better.

18. Other health issues

There are a lot of different health issues that can also affect women’s moods and emotions. For example, thyroid problems, menopause, and birth control can cause a woman to be emotional.

Other conditions such as PMDD *premenstrual dysmorphic disorder*, which is similar to PMS, have more severe symptoms, especially emotional ones. It can lead to excessive crying, anger, irritability, and sadness. 

PCOS *polycystic ovarian syndrome* produces a higher level of male hormones in women, which messes up their normal hormone levels. Studies have shown that women with PCOS have higher levels of distress than women who don’t have it.

[Read: Why women talk so much – 21 reasons and how to make her feel heard]

While excessive emotional displays from the women around you may grate on your nerves, there is a lot of scientific evidence that suggests their emotional responses are totally normal. The next time you wonder why women are so emotional, cut them some slack and just remember these things!