I don’t know what it is for your person, but I do know that something similar has happened to me in the last few years. I’m pretty sure it to do with going through a hypomanic episode and then into a severe depression. During the depression I started crying at the stupidest things—like Disney movies, and I haven’t gone back to my old self since.
I find emotional scenes much more moving now. Songs and TV and movies and for god’s sake even commercials can do this to me. I have a devil of a time hiding it from anyone. My daughter has caught on to me, I think. I have no idea what she makes of it.
In any case, if I were trying to read at such a time, I couldn’t. But even when I am not verklempt, I have a hard time reading. I think that’s because my eyes are getting worse or my glasses are no good any more or both. Reading on the page is not the fun it used to be. I guess I like the screen now.
For some reason, I get much more distracted when reading print. I sometimes have to read things several times, and I can’t read for very long. That makes it hard to keep track of what is going on. It doesn’t help that part of my memory is rapidly disappearing. I will soon be reduced to gabbling like a turkey because I can’t remember the words to say what I’m thinking.
Imagine that! A babbling, overly emotional grown man, turned into a giant baby. Or toddler. At least I still know how to go to the bathroom on my own.