Washington D.C., Jan. 19 -- : People often get emotional at work, but the idea of faking emotions to elicit real-life benefits may not work always. According to a recent study, faking a positive attitude to elicit real-life benefits often backfires when used with co-workers. According to researchers, making an effort to actually feel the emotions you display is more productive.
Allison Gabriel, associate professor of management and organisations in the Eller College of Management, led a team that analyzed two types of emotion regulation that people use at work: surface acting and deep acting. The study was published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.
"Surface acting is faking what you're displaying to other people. Inside, you may be u...