Emotional Labor

Abstract

Emotional labor refers to workers' management of their emotions according to organizational feeling and emotion display rules. When managing their emotions in interactions, workers either display emotions they do not actually feel or try to make themselves feel an expected emotion. To manage feelings, individuals may use cognitive, bodily, and expressive techniques. Frontline service occupations involve high levels of emotional labor. Gender, race, and class shape the expected emotional displays of individuals in the workplace. In addition, emotional labor, particularly surface acting, may have negative consequences for individuals' psychological well‐being.