Reactions to Bad News

Bad news. I recently received some, well a group of us did and I started watching people's reactions. I myself started to cry, never having known the person who had passed away. I saw other's whose eyes, just got red, some remained strong and stoic, and more people who didn't know the person began to cry as well. Some people wanted to talk about it, remain as a group, other's closed off, drew into themselves, and other's just wanted to be alone. I think the severity and the proximity of bad news can affect people in different ways. I also have a tendency to laugh and smile in uncomfortable situations, which I did last night when I also received bad news. But I think the seriousness affects my reaction.