This Is Why In-Flight Movies Always Make You Cry

We’ve all been there. You settle into your cramped plane seat, put on your headphones and cue up an innocuous-looking film. Half an hour later, you’re sobbing at an innocent scene that would never have made you cry on the ground.

A study conducted by Virgin America found that 55% of people feel heightened emotions while on a plane, and 41% of men admit to crying when they watch films in the air. In response to the study, Virgin began issuing ’emotional health warnings’ before especially heartstring-tugging movies on their flights.

Flights can provoke emotions for many reasons. Travelling in general is stressful and often involves unpleasant situations. Dr. Randi Mackintosh, a Florida psychiatrist, spoke to Thrillist about emotions while flying. He said: ‘By the time you sit down, you’ve probably been stressed all day.

Emotions release themselves in the air in a way they don’t on the ground

‘A lot has been building up. When you get up in the air, it might be the first time you’re realising how the stress is impacting you.’

Flying can also be lonely, and involves flying towards or away from people or places you love. You might have just finished a vacation you’ve been saving all year for, or are flying away from your significant other. ‘Our feelings get neglected when we have distractions like work, catching up with friends, or email,’ Mackintosh says. ‘Our distractions are minimised when flying and we’re forced to focus on the issues we’ve been dealing with or putting aside.

‘Whoever we are on the ground is all stripped away,’ he says. ‘We’re in a vulnerable position up there, and even people who are comfortable flying have some concern. And when we’re vulnerable, all our emotions get heightened.’

A 1988 study found that flying can have a severe effect on moods. The decreased oxygen intake you experience on a plane can make you aggressive and sad.

All of these effects combine to make crying on a plane way more likely than crying on the ground. You have space to feel your emotions and time to experience them, and this makes itself known through tears spurting from your eyes during the opening scene from Up, when Jack and Rose say goodbye for the last time in Titanic and when John Coffey dies in The Green Mile.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.