Maybe you're an actor or maybe you need to shed a few tears to make a heartbreaking story more convincing… either way, knowing how to cry on command can be a useful skill to master. With a little practice, you should be able to cry on command in no time.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Make Your Eyes Water
Step 1. Keep your eyes open for as long as possible
Keeping your eyes open will make them dry and burn a little. Eventually, the dryness will cause your eyes to start watering, so try not to blink until you feel the tears start forming.
- If there is a fan nearby, try to position yourself so that the air blows straight into your eyes: it can help make them water.
- If you can stare into bright light, your eyes will water even faster.
Step 2. Rub your eyes
Close your eyes and gently rub your eyelids for about 25 seconds, then open them and stare at something until the tears begin to flow. This technique may take some practice, but once you get the hang of it it can work wonders. Rubbing your eyes can also help redden the surrounding skin, but don't press too hard or you could hurt yourself.
Gently place an index finger on one of the pupils: this will cause irritation of the eye and could make it water. However, be careful not to slip it in
Step 3. Bite the inside of your lip
Slight pain can often cause tears, and if you need to cry on command, you can take advantage of this. This is especially useful if you bite your lip while you are already thinking about something sad.
- Try holding your breath as you bite the inside of your mouth to focus all your senses on the pain.
- You can also vigorously pinch a sensitive part of your body, such as a thigh or the space between your thumb and forefinger.
Step 4. Apply a substance under the eyes that makes them water
This is also a method used by Hollywood stars: gently rub a stick dipped in menthol under the eyes. It might burn a little, but the effect will be very realistic. Be extremely careful not to get the substance directly into contact with your eyes.
You can also use eye drops to make your face appear to be streaked with tears. Place a few drops just below the corner of your eyes, so that they fall on your face in a believable way
Step 5. Resort to onions
Cutting an unwashed onion is a very effective technique for causing tears. This method is probably ideal for acting, since it will be difficult to convince someone that you are genuinely crying if you take out an onion and start cutting it right before you burst into tears!
If you manage to escape to another room, grab a few slices of onion and smell it closely; when your eyes start to water, go back to your interlocutor
Step 6. Try to force yourself to yawn
Yawning usually causes your eyes to water, and if you do it enough, you may bring out a few tears. Try to hide your yawns with something that covers your mouth. You can also yawn without opening your mouth to make it more believable.
Method 2 of 3: Think of Something That Makes You Cry
Step 1. Think of a time when you felt really sad
If you need to cry on command, thinking about a time in your life when you felt sad can help you get into the right frame of mind for tears. For example, you might think about the disappearance of a loved one or a particularly painful separation.
Other triggers could include losing something really special, getting into trouble with your parents, or not getting something you worked hard for
Step 2. Imagine you are weak or helpless
Many people are afraid that they are not as strong as they would like. Imagining yourself small and weak could cause you to take on a vulnerable mindset, which can lead to real tears.
- Once you enter that state of mind, let the feeling of helplessness flow out of you in the form of tears.
- For example, a fairly common exercise in acting classes is to imagine yourself as a small child that no one cares for.
Step 3. Imagine a very sad scene using your imagination
Sometimes, rethinking a bad experience in the past can lead to real emotions that are then difficult to overcome. If this is your case, try to imagine something sad that could hypothetically happen and not something that actually happened.
For example, you might try to think of puppies abandoned on the side of the road. You would like to save them all, but you can only take one. As you hold the one puppy you can save in your arms, you look at everyone else standing there on the sidewalk
Step 4. Cry tears of joy if you don't want to feel sad
Try to imagine things that fill your eyes with tears of joy, such as when you have received a wonderful gift, or soldiers returning home to their families or someone who triumphs in spite of a thousand adversities.
As long as you don't smile, no one will be able to tell if yours are tears of joy or sadness
Method 3 of 3: Go to the Next Level
Step 1. Adopt a sad expression
This usually involves closing your eyes and rubbing your face a little - just try to remember the movements of your face when you actually cry. If you are unsure, look in the mirror and pretend to cry, then pay attention to how your face muscles feel.
- Slightly lower the corners of your mouth.
- Try to push up the inner corners of the eyebrows.
- Curl your chin like people do before you start crying. It may appear false if you overdo it, so try to barely mention it.
Step 2. Focus on the breath
Breathing is part of what convinces people that you are desperate. Start sobbing like when you really cry, taking deep breaths. Breathe in continuously, as if you are hyperventilating. Add a little hiccup to your breath from time to time to give it more authenticity.
If no one can see you, run in place for a few minutes so that you are out of breath. This will also help create a mottled complexion on the face, which often accompanies crying
Step 3. Lower your head or cover your face to make crying seem more realistic
Once you have started to weep, to breathe with difficulty and have adopted a distraught expression, you can add some finishing touches, such as covering your face with your hands, resting your head on the table or making it dangle to look sad.
- You may even bite your lip, as if you are trying to stop the tears.
- Look away, pretending you don't want to cry, to double bluff!
Step 4. Add a moaning tone as you speak to make it sound like you are crying
When you cry your vocal cords tighten, which leads to those whining or shuffling sounds you make when trying to speak through tears. Try sobbing and add long inhalations to increase the effect.
It is basically about letting the mind dominate matter: the more you practice, the more your body will be able to produce the effect you are looking for
Step 5. Disconnect from the outside world
If you want to be able to cry on command you need to relax, breathe and focus on why you should. By eliminating any distractions, you will be able to delve deeper into the emotions you are recalling.
Step 6. Cover your face with your hands and laugh if you don't feel sad
Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if someone is laughing or crying, especially if they are doing it correctly. While holding your face in your hands, shrug your shoulders, try to redden your eyes a little by rubbing them hard, and don't smile when you take your hands away.
- This technique works best on a stage, when the people watching you aren't close enough to see tears or your face in fine detail.
- Make sure you don't make any sounds or you might make it clear that you are laughing! If you accidentally laugh out loud, try a whimper or hiccup immediately afterwards, but don't overdo it.
wikiHow Video: How to Cry on Command
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Advice
- Stay hydrated. If you don't have enough water in your body you won't be able to produce tears.
- Instead, try to force yourself not to cry. If you have a hard time crying on command, sometimes it's best not to. just act like you're holding back tears. People may also be more touched by this attitude of yours, especially if you have a reputation for being a "tough" person. This can also be more credible, because you appear more vulnerable.
- Don't be too dramatic or obvious because you would immediately make your interlocutor suspicious. Make it seem as if you don't want to burst into tears in front of him and show yourself a little embarrassed, perhaps even apologizing for crying!
- For practice, try crying by watching a scene from a movie where an actor is crying.
- Blink very quickly: sometimes it causes the production of tears.
- Stick to a blank wall for as long as possible. When your eyes start to pinch, close them for 5 seconds - it can help you in your intent.
- If you have the chance, listen to sad music before thinking about depressing things to feel even stronger emotions.
- If you are young, think about the difficulties you have in school that could make you cry. For example, think about how difficult the next math test will be since it will be about a topic you don't understand anything about.
Warnings
- If you are using a stick with a substance to trigger tears, do not let it come into contact with your eyes or it could damage your vision!
- Never stare at the sun to try to make your eyes water - during most hours of the day, the sun emits enough radiation to ruin your sight!
- Do not assume a strange expression that makes you feel uncomfortable; instead, it relaxes the muscles of the face.
- Do not excessively irritate the eyes. You could damage them if you're not careful.
- If you're wearing dark eye makeup, crying will definitely ruin it and you'll have to reapply it. However, mascara running down the cheeks can definitely enhance the overall effect.
