PEOPLE who smile a lot and say "have a nice day" are headed to an early grave while the grumpy stay fit.
Researchers at a German university - a land where surliness is an Olympic discipline -say enforced jolliness on the job is much more likely to make people fall ill.
They cite flight attendants, sales personnel, call centre operators, waiters and others in contact with the public for extended periods of time as being at risk of seriously harming their health.
Psychologists at Frankfurt University said the fake friendliness led to depression, stress and a lowering of the immune system itself, which in turn can trigger more serious ailments.
"Every time a person is forced to repress his true feelings there are negative consequences for his health," said Professor Dieter Zapf, a researcher into human emotions.
The study tested students working in an imaginary call centre who were subject to abuse from clients.
Some of the participants were allowed to answer back, while others had to be polite and friendly all the time.
Those who stood up to clients had a rapid heartbeat for a brief period, but for those who had to remain friendly their heart was still racing long after the client had hung up.
The conclusion reached by the psychologists was that "being friendly against one's will causes nothing but stress".
Flight attendants, shop assistants and carers also took part in the study of emotional behaviour, which involved 4000 people, Professor Zapf said.
"We are all able to rein in our emotions," he said. "It becomes difficult when you have to do this over a protracted period as cabin attendants are forced to on long-haul flights.
"These people need space away from the passengers where they can be on their own and let their feelings run free. We have to get away from the 'customer is king' attitude and show more respect to those working in the service industries," Professor Zapf said.
Liddle Noodnik
3,789 Posts
Wanted to provide a different perspective. My dad once showed me (some time ago) an article which showed that even fake smiling can produce endorphins, and also that smiling uses fewer muscles than frowning. I was mad cuz Dad was also of the mind that "no matter what, just smile. Don't let anyone see if you are upset." I thought, well that hasn't helped my DEPRESSION, pretending everything is ok!!!
Well anyway this is the closest thing I could find that agrees with the article dad showed me quite a while ago:
"Another qualification to Trumble's argument is that the causal arrow can go both ways: just as happiness can produce a smile, a smile can produce happiness. Paul Ekman's psychological study of human expressiveness shows that the smile, even when it is forced, produces endorphins that make us forget our misery and feel happy. This is an important dimension of the smile which Trumble neglects; perhaps even a grin that serves to mask depression will contribute to eliminating it entirely..."
The rest of the article is at:
http://www.bridgemagazine.org/online/books/archive/000120.php