Are men more prone to workplace tears?

Contrary to Nobel laureate Tim Hunts claims last week, it is men who are more prone to weeping in the workplace.

Hunt last week caused outrage after expressing that female scientists were prone to crying after criticism and caused personal relationship issues.

Speaking at a World Conference of Science Journalists he said: “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you, and when you criticise them they cry.”

Mayor of London Boris Johnson later defended Hunt in The Daily Telegraph, stating: “The world’s leading expert on crying, Professor Ad Vingerhoets of Tilburg University, has shown that women on average cry 30-64 times a year, while men cry only between six and 17 times a year; and the Dutchman also claims that women cry for an average of six minutes, while men cry for only two to three minutes.”