A psychologist says that Andrew Garfield and Elmo teach an "extremely important" lesson on grieving and loss in a viral video.

Andrew Garfield and Elmo from Sesame Street discussed grief in a video that went viral on X after being posted on Friday. By Monday, it had been viewed over 14.2 million times on that platform alone.

Garfield talks about his late mother who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2019. He expresses his sadness and longing for her in a clip.

Garfield consoles the Muppet by stating that feeling sad or missing someone is a sign of love. He adds, "It's a beautiful thing to feel, in a way, because it means you truly cared for someone."

Recalling memories of his mother's cuddles and hugs helps Garfield cope with her absence, making him feel closer to her in a peculiar way.

Sherry Cormier, a psychologist and author of "Sweet Sorrow: Finding Enduring Wholeness after Loss and Grief," emphasizes that this interaction is not only significant because it demonstrates how to cope with loss but also how to console someone who has experienced loss.

"Cormier emphasizes the importance of listening at the start and end of the process, stating that it is challenging to truly listen."

Listening is the 'greatest gift' you could give a grieving person

Elmo initiates the conversation by expressing concern about everyone's well-being and inquires about Garfield's condition. Garfield questions whether Elmo is truly interested in hearing him out, to which Elmo enthusiastically responds, "Absolutely, Elmo would be thrilled to listen!"

When comforting a friend who has recently experienced a loss, many people become too focused on what to say, according to Cormier. Instead, a grieving person typically just needs to feel heard.

Cormier suggests that the greatest gift one could give to a grieving person is to simply show up and listen, rather than spending time worrying about what to say and what might be the right or wrong thing to say.

According to Karla Vermeulen, an associate professor of psychology at the State University of New York, New Paltz, the conversation between Garfield and Elmo highlights that grief does not have a definitive conclusion.

"Vermeulen says, "The notion of a magical, tidy conclusion that eradicates the pain of loss no longer exists. Andrew acknowledged that, despite it being several years ago, the loss still feels fresh to him.""

The Sesame Workshop's candid and vulnerable performance by Garfield was praised as his "best work yet" by a writer for the Guardian UK.

The video demonstrates that grieving can be intricate and that sadness isn't always detrimental.

Recognizing sadness is the cost of having loved someone now that they are no longer here in person, she explains.

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