Why do people cover their faces when they cry?

To hide those butt ugly cry faces.

Seriously, most people look damn ugly when they cry.

[mod says] Txtspk removed.

sometimes it’s to suppress a soft wail…
other times it is just comfortable, helps to support your head up, especially if you feel like just collapsing
and then there’s those times I have been ashamed that I’m unable to contain my emotions… and the tears from spilling out…

It’s often hard for me to cry if I don’t have my hands on my face. It’s really weird, actually, and I’ve wondered about it, myself. It’s not a shame or embarrassment thing, at least not entirely, as I do it even when I’m alone.

Crying is so personal, the inner emotions so exposed, that we hide from that baring of our souls.

For me it’s embarrassment, I wouldn’t want anyone to see me cry.

Very few people are able to do the “pretty cry.” In addition, I think it has something to do with people either getting more upset or pulling themselves together with their “private moment.”

I think it’s embarrassing, too. Not just because of how the face looks, but because it just shows signs of weakness and vulnerability. IMO, it’s just pitiful.

It’s embarassing and no one looks good when they cry.

People don’t want others staring at them while they are in so much emotional or physical pain that they are in tears. Covering your face gives you some feeling of privacy and dignity in an embarrassing situation.

That said, I usually cover my face even if I am alone. It somehow seems to lessen the severity of the crying. I find it comforting and it calms me so I can focus and think better.

first of all, GOOOOOD QUESTION!

i think for me it is kind of like a physical act of how i feel. i feel introverted, so my body introverts. crying into a pillow i think would be the same concept. i am trying to burrow for comfort and to hide.

if i was around strangers or not close friends i would also be doing it to hide, and because i would be embarrassed.

but around close friends i think i would do it because i have a hard time making eye contact when i am feeling that exposed and vulnerable.

I hold my face to catch what I’m feeling.

I only cry when I’m alone, and when I cry, I only make sobbing noises, I try to sob as quietly as possible cause I don’t want people to hear or see me cry. Even when I’m crying alone and making very quiet sobbing noises, I still use my arms to cover my face when I cry, because it’s more comfortable, makes me think about why I’m crying better, and it’s easier to cry when I cover my face.