I wonder why only some emotions are cathartic? According to Aristotle tears purge the soul of sadness and leave us refreshed. (This is from memory of long ago classes.) But why then can’t laughter purge the soul of frivolity and leave us attentive?

Do tears purge the soul? This makes me think of bulimia: pigging out on tragedy and then vomiting it all back out. Yuck. That’s a bad metaphor. Then what? We cry because our bodies want to help us out when we feel bad? Does this mean that the soul

feels better at the body’s expense?

I am having a lot of trouble with this concept of catharsis, of intensifying a feeling to be done with it.