Fake it till you make it – basically an Insta caption we all have used at one point in our pretentious lives. But, also a go-to life hack of adulting, this faking it apparently doesn’t come without some side-effects.
A study has found out that offering fake smiles at work leads to employees drinking more heavily after their shift comes to an end.
Researchers at Penn State and the University of Buffalo tracked the drinking habits of 1,592 people, who routinely work with the public.
Alicia Grandey, professor of psychology at Penn State said that while smiling as a part of your job may seem like a positive trait, it might be draining to do so all day long-
Faking and suppressing emotions with customers was related to drinking beyond the stress of the job or feeling negatively. It wasn’t just feeling badly that makes them reach for a drink. Instead, the more they have to control negative emotions at work, the less they are able to control their alcohol intake after work.
The research, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, found out that the relationship between fake smiling, also called ‘surface acting’, and drinking after work was especially strong for impulsive people.
The study revealed the effects weren’t so bad when the emotional efforts were matched with financial reward AKA a good salary/appraisal.
Now, if I act cranky at work, my manager better know, it’s not me, it’s you.
‘Let’s put a smile on that face?’
