Researchers Pinpoint the Saddest Movie Scene of All Time

After an extensive study which included screening 78 of the saddest scenes in movie history to 500 volunteers, researchers from Stanford University were able to determine that the final scene of 1979 boxing drama ‘The Champ‘ was the most tear-jerking of all.

In the scene, nine-year-old T.J. (played by Ricky Schroder) repeatedly begs his father (Jon Voight) — a boxer who has just died from injuries suffered in the ring — to “wake up.”

The study was actually completed 16 years ago, so melodramas completed in recent years weren’t up for consideration, but came to light due to a recent article in Smithsonian Magazine which explained how the film is now used in scientific experiments in which researchers want to make the study’s subjects sad.

So you might want to grab a box of tissues before viewing the scene below.

[via Smithsonian.com]