Dacryphilia is a fetish in which a person becomes sexually aroused by another person's crying or tears. The term generally refers to those who are turned on by the crying of others, but can sometimes refer to the pleasure someone experiences from their own crying, both as a physical release and an emotional catharsis. A very small survey conducted in 2014 found that those who experienced dacryphilia did so out of compassion for the person crying, or in response to a dominant/submissive dynamic as a form of sadism. Dacryphilia may also be voyeuristic in nature when the person enjoys watching another person in this vulnerable state.
The term comes from the Greek word for tears, "dakrya," while "philia" means love.
Dacryphilia is also known as dacrylagnia.
