"Growing up, I watched my dad handle stress the same way he handled everything else: silently, stoically, and with a stiff upper lip. When his company downsized and he lost his job, he just nodded, shook hands, and never talked about it again. Meanwhile, my younger cousin posts TikToks about her therapy sessions and hosts "crying parties" with her friends when life gets tough."
"Remember when crying at work was career suicide? Boomers still do. They view public tears as a sign of weakness, something that undermines your credibility and professionalism. Gen Z? They're livestreaming their mental breakdowns and getting millions of views. They argue that crying is just your body's way of processing emotions, and suppressing it is like trying to hold in a sneeze."
"Two generations, two completely different approaches to dealing with life's challenges. What one generation calls strength, the other calls emotional avoidance. And honestly? They might both have a point. The generational divide around emotional expression has never been more apparent. Boomers grew up in an era where "toughing it out" was the gold standard of resilience. Gen Z, on the other hand, treats vulnerability like a superpower and therapy like a gym membership for the mind."
Two generations display opposing norms for emotional expression: older adults prize stoicism and concealment, while younger adults embrace vulnerability and public emotional disclosure. Some families exemplify the split, with fathers responding to stress silently and younger relatives sharing therapy experiences and 'crying parties' online. Workplace norms are shifting as visible emotion sometimes generates support rather than stigma; one colleague's tears prompted redistributed workloads and improved team health. Therapy is increasingly normalized among younger adults, who treat vulnerability as strength and mental health care as routine. Both approaches offer coping benefits and downsides depending on context and social expectations.
Read at Silicon Canals
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