How To Make Yourself Cry: 14 Ways To Turn On The Waterworks

Have you ever wanted to learn how to make yourself cry?

Then you probably already know that it’s not as easy as it seems.

However, some things to make you cry will make those fake tears run down your cheeks when you want them to, and I’m here to help you cry on cue and make it as convincing as possible.

It can be difficult to learn how to make yourself cry, but some situations in life require you to cry at the right moment.

Maybe you just have to get out of work, and there’s no other way but to make yourself cry. Fake tears can also get you out of getting speeding tickets. 

Once you learn these ways to make yourself cry, you’ll even be able to manipulate your loved one into doing whatever you want!

In any case, there will certainly be some reason why the ways to make yourself cry will turn out to be useful so it’s a good idea to learn how to make yourself cry before such a reason appears.

I’ll help you figure out how to make yourself cry because, after all, you can’t ever know when you will need to.

Before jumping to the things that make you cry, let’s first find out why we cry in the first place.

Isn’t that our first reaction when we come into this world?

The first thing we do as babies who just come into this world is cry, to let everyone know we’re here and we’re alive. 

However, later in life, crying has a different message.

The thing is, people cry every single day, whether they’re children, women or men.

Every human being cries because it’s our way of letting the world know that we are only human, and as such, have feelings that are genuine.

We express our deep emotions of grief, dissatisfaction, yearning, or even happiness, by crying.

It’s our body’s way of letting us know that there’s a yearning for something in our soul, or that our soul has, in some way, been hurt.

Dr. Ad Vingerhoets gave us the scientific answer in his book ‘Why Only Humans Weep’.

He explained that adults cry because of two triggers, the first one being powerlessness and helplessness, while the second one is loss and separation.

It’s hard to disagree with him since that pretty much sums up all the reasons behind our tears.

Now that you know why you cry, what about the reasons why you’d wish to make yourself cry?

I already mentioned some reasons for when you want to manipulate someone, whether it’s your boss, a cop, or even your loved one.

However, there are a lot more reasons that aren’t for the purpose of tricking someone into doing what you want.

Perhaps you have gone through a hard time, but you can’t remember the last time you cried, even though you felt the need for it. Making yourself cry can be good for your mental health.

All those feelings that have accumulated over time need to come out of you in the form of tears.

Afterward, you’ll feel great relief. Tears make it easier for you to carry your burdens, and they let your soul have some relief.

Crying is sort of like therapy, self-cleansing that provides you with a clearer view of your life and a new, fresh perspective.

There are other reasons too; for instance, if you’re an actor, you have to know how to cry on cue when a scene requires you to.

You could also be a model and need to shed a tear in order to make the perfect photograph that shows a feeling of sadness.

There could also be some reasons why you need to cry fake tears that I couldn’t possibly guess, and I don’t need to, because I’m here to show you all the ways to make yourself cry, for whatever reason.

Here they are:

1. Think about something sad that you experienced in the past

The most effective way is, at the same time, the most painful one.

You need to think about the moment in your life that was the saddest, and the tears will start running down your cheeks.

For example, maybe you went through a break-up in the past that was very painful, and it made you cry, which is perfectly normal for a situation like that.

Your body remembers those feelings, and if you recall that moment, you’ll cry again.

Just think about when they left or when you cried alone because of it. Your body can relive anything.

However, if this method is too difficult for you to take, try some of the others. Just keep in mind that remembering sad things from the past, such as break-ups, a personal tragedy, or a loss of your loved one, can be beneficial for your mental health.

2. Think about the things you’re grateful for

If thinking about sad things from your past is too hard for you, you can change what you think about into something positive.

For some people, thinking about the things they’re grateful for gets them to cry.

It could be anything; for example, how much your mother helps you take care of your children or maybe your partner did some amazing things for you that you’re really grateful for.

3. Imagine something sad

You don’t have to think about some experiences you had when you can simply imagine them. Imagine hypothetical scenarios that would make you sad.

For example, it could be suffering from a serious illness, losing someone you love, breaking up with your partner, or any imaginary scenario that would make you really miserable.

4. Keep your eyes wide open and don’t blink

This is something that takes some time, so you should keep that in mind.

The thing is, your eyes lubricate themselves when you blink because that’s the way for them to clean themselves.

Therefore, when you open your eyes wide and don’t blink for as long as you can, they won’t lubricate themselves, so when you close them, your dry eyeballs will be moisturized by your tear ducts.

Once you start blinking afterward, your eyes will create a large amount of water, which means that you will start to cry.

It’s also important to note that doing this can be somewhat painful since you’re actually drying your eyes.

Still, there are other ways to make yourself cry if this one doesn’t work for you.

5. Let onions make you cry

You probably already know about this, but it’s good to mention it in case you forgot. 

Chopping an onion almost always makes us cry.

Do you know why this is?

Well, there’s an enzyme that onions consist of which is released when you start chopping them and it produces another chemical, which makes you cry when your eyes are exposed to it.

Whenever you need to fake tears, the perfect solution is an onion.

Of course, it requires you to be able to cut the onion where you are at that moment, so maybe some other solution would be better in a situation where you can’t do that.

6. Eat a hot pepper

If you’re up for it, you can always use a jalapeno pepper if you’re looking for something to make you cry.

Are you sensitive to peppers? Then try a seedless jalapeno because it’s still strong enough to help you achieve your goal.

Maybe you’re used to eating food that’s really spicy? In that case, you should go with a really hot jalapeno.

Make sure that you use gloves because touching your eyes after touching a jalapeno can cause extreme irritation, tearing, or even swelling.

If you’re brave enough to use a jalapeno to make yourself cry, eat it at the moment when you need to cry.

You should eat a small pepper by letting it roll over your tongue, as well as against the roof of your mouth before swallowing it.

It’s important for your mouth to be closed the whole time, so no one would see the jalapeno and also try to make your chewing motions as less visible as possible.

Of course, you could hide the fact you’re doing this by doing it behind a handkerchief.

7. Use a menthol tear stick or menthol tear producers

Do you want to learn how to make yourself cry as if you were an actor?

Actors have a trick they use when they need to cry for situations when it’s hard to do it in some of the other ways.

The trick actors use is the menthol method, and there are menthol tear producers and menthol tear sticks.

Actors use the menthol tear stick by applying it right under their eyes, while the menthol tear producer is a spray, which works instantly.

8. Yawn

Yawning is a great way to make yourself cry if you’re feeling tired because the tears come immediately.

The facial muscles that surround your eyes tighten when you yawn, and during that, the lacrimal glands could feel a small amount of pressure, which makes them release tears that had been kept in storage for some other time.

If you want immediate results when you’re trying to get your eyes to tear up a little, you only need to take a big yawn.

9. Use eye drops

When learning how to make yourself cry, you’ll come across an easy way like this one. All you have to do is take a few dollars to the nearest pharmacy.

Eye drops are a simple solution to your problem that contain saline, which can instantly provoke tears.

Applying eye drops is very easy; you just need to pour a couple of drops into the eyes, and that’s it.

However, keep in mind that hiding the evidence is the best way to go if you want to avoid being accused of making yourself cry.

10. Rub your eyes

Gently rubbing your eyes will get you to cry.

After you’ve gently rubbed them for a couple of seconds, open them and stare at one spot until you start crying.

Your pointer finger should be placed on one of your pupils, as it will irritate your eyes and therefore, make you cry.

Include sobbing sounds and deep breaths to make it more believable and keep reading because further on, I have more tips on how to make your crying seem more convincing.

11. Watch a sad movie or listen to sad music

There are many ways in which music can affect us, and one of those things is making us cry.

Classical music is the right choice if you want to turn on the waterworks. Complex instruments will help your body release all toxic thoughts that ever entered it.

That happens through tears and the greatest cleansing tool for the soul is music.

However, if you’re not into listening to sad music, you can always watch a sad movie instead. Just keep in mind that watching a movie takes more time than listening to a sad song.

12. Repeat certain phrases

Believing what you say can get you to cry. Think of some phrases that usually make you have pity for a person or just make you sad.

You need to concentrate and listen carefully while saying them.

I mentioned believing what you are saying, and this is the most important part of this method. You need to believe that what you’re saying is true!

If it doesn’t work, try doing it in front of a mirror because it will give you an insight into your perspective, making you feel like you’re talking to yourself.

Don’t force yourself, so try to repeat the phrases at intervals.

13. Imagine a dialogue

You need to imagine having a dialogue with a person who knows how to make you sad or a person who made you feel bad about yourself.

Try writing it down and reading it a couple of times before actually having it.

You’ll start feeling like that someone is there at that moment, and you’ll start to tear up.

To make it look convincing to you, use a mirror.

14. Read something that makes you feel sad

What have you read that made you sad about something or someone? Maybe you read about a missing puppy, some sort of a confession, or a sad love story.

This is a very practical method because you can Google it and find the type of sad thing to read that you know will cause emotions in you and provoke empathy.

Even the toughest person will cry when reading something extremely painful or shocking.

All of us are at least somewhat empathetic, it’s just that some of us cry instantly when reading something heartbreaking, while others need a little more time.

Learning how to make yourself cry is something that takes determination and time.

Try our ways to make yourself cry and choose the ones that work best for you and for the situation you’re in.

If the reason why you’re trying to do this is to stop feeling numb, you should know that you should never hold it in, and evoking your feelings is the right choice.

Let yourself feel the things you feel and confront the sadness. Recall your sad memories and know that once you start crying, you’ll feel better.

You will feel as if you suddenly don’t have so many burdens on your shoulders and gaining a new perspective on your problems and your situation will help you.

Don’t ever hold your tears in and stop running from your emotions, no matter how much it hurts to feel them, because facing them is always a better option. 

Cry it all out, and you’ll eventually solve all of it. You’ll feel ready for a new start and liberated.

But what if you’re trying to cry because you want to trick someone into doing what you want?

In that case, you’re going to need a few more tips to make your crying look convincing.

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to cry if you don’t drink enough water, so make sure you drink a lot of it.

The trick to making it seem believable is to act like you’re trying not to cry, especially if the person you’re trying to convince knows you don’t cry often.

You can practice crying by doing it along with a certain actor in a movie scene that is very touching. Blinking fast can also sometimes cause tears.

A good tip is to pretend you’re embarrassed because you’re crying, and you can even apologize for causing a scene.

However, don’t overdo it because otherwise it will be obvious that you’re pretending.

Here are a few more tips to make your crying more convincing:

1. Often avert your eyes from the person you’re crying in front of

Don’t always look at the person you’re crying in front of, but keep looking away. No one cries while making direct eye contact.

Most of the time, the person who cries shields their face, so others can’t see them.

Therefore, it’s enough that you shed a few tears and then look away to make them believe that underneath your shielding hands, there are more tears.

2. Wipe your tears away

When you’re crying for real, you don’t just let your tears fall, do you? That brings us to another great trick to making your tears look believable.

Even if there’s nothing to wipe away, act like you’re wiping your tears away.

As long as your eyes look at least a little watery when you pretend you’re wiping away your tears, it will explain why there aren’t any on your cheeks.

In addition, wiping your eyes will make them a little red, and that’s how they look when you’re crying for real.

3. Sniffle

This is very important to remember if you want to learn how to make yourself cry so that it looks believable.

What happens when your tears run? Well, your nose runs as well.

It’s something that everyone knows, so if you cry without sniffling, it will look like it’s fake.

Try to sniffle every once in a while to make your tears really believable. However, don’t do it too often.

Unless your tears are flowing like waterworks, sniffling too much will reveal that you’re not crying for real.

Don’t make it too loud and keep it light. It will work if it’s audible.

4. Pretend that you are trying your best not to cry

Most people aren’t really okay with letting others see them crying, especially not someone who they see every day.

Crying shows that we’re vulnerable, and it makes us look like we aren’t capable of keeping our emotions in check.

When people are really crying, they try not to cry.

So, how can you do the same? Well, by steadying your breathing and by looking up in an attempt to stop the tears from flowing.

By doing this, you make your crying more convincing, and in addition, give an explanation for the lack of tears.

5. Practice it

To really learn how to make yourself cry and make it look convincing, you’ll need to practice it a lot.

Actors know how to cry on cue, but they have to practice it too so practice crying in your free time if you want to be as convincing as a true actor.

6. Notice what you do when you’re crying for real

The next time you actually cry, try to figure out what you do, how it started, what facial expressions you make, and what you do with your body.

Then, when you want to cry on purpose, just try to do all those things. 

Make the same facial expressions, do with your arms what you do when you’re crying for real, and try to look the way you do then.

I told you right from the start that learning how to make yourself cry isn’t as simple as it sounds. It takes time, practice, and the right method to make your crying look realistic.

However, with the tips I mentioned, you’ll be able to make your fake tears look like they are real.

Good luck!