The research found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy. |
Pretending to be happy can actually make you more miserable - especially if you're a woman, according to a new study. Researchers found that walking around with a forced smile and faking happiness simply led to people feeling gloomier. So, putting a brave face on your woes could actually be counterproductive. The research found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy. Psychologist Dr Brent Scott, who led the study, said employers should take note because forcing workers to smile when dealing with the public can backfire. He said: "Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion and withdrawal, and that's bad for the organisation." Dr Scott said the research showed customer-service workers who 'fake smile' throughout the day worsen their mood and then withdraw from work, so their productivity drops. He added: "Bosses may think that getting their staff to smile is good for the organisation, but that's not necessarily the case." Dr Scott, assistant professor of management at Michigan State University, analysed a group of bus drivers during a two-week period. The study is one of the first of its kind to examine emotional displays over a period of time and compare the different effect that has on men and women. His team examined the effects of surface acting - or fake smiling - compared to what was termed 'deep acting', or cultivating positive emotions by recalling pleasant memories. Dr Scott said: "Women were harmed more by surface acting, meaning their mood worsened even more than the men and they withdrew more from work. "However, they were helped more by deep acting, which means their mood improved more and they withdrew less." Dr Scott suggested women tend to suffer more when pretending to be happy because they are expected to be more emotionally expressive than men. Therefore, faking a smile while feeling down is more likely to go against their normal behaviour and cause more harmful feelings. Although, 'deep acting' seemed to improve mood in the short-term, Dr Scott says it's not a long-term solution to feeling unhappy. He said: "You're trying to cultivate positive emotions, but at the end of the day you may not feel like yourself anymore." (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
一項(xiàng)新研究顯示,假裝快樂反而會(huì)讓你覺得更加抑郁,對(duì)女性來說,尤其如此。 研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn),強(qiáng)顏歡笑、假裝快樂只會(huì)讓你感到更抑郁。 因此,強(qiáng)裝快樂來掩蓋你的悲傷其實(shí)會(huì)產(chǎn)生相反的效果。 研究發(fā)現(xiàn),假裝快樂的時(shí)候,女性比男性更痛苦。 該研究的領(lǐng)頭人、心理學(xué)家布倫特?斯科特博士提醒雇主們要注意到這一點(diǎn),因?yàn)樽寙T工在應(yīng)對(duì)客戶時(shí)強(qiáng)顏歡笑結(jié)果會(huì)適得其反。 他說:“為笑而笑會(huì)導(dǎo)致員工工作情緒枯竭,不想工作,而這對(duì)于公司來說是不利的?!?/p> 斯科特博士說,研究表明那些整天“假笑”的客服工作人員心情通常很差且工作積極性不高,從而降低了他們的工作效率。 他接著說:“老板們可能認(rèn)為讓員工微笑對(duì)公司有益,但是事實(shí)并不一定是這樣?!?/p> 斯科特博士是密歇根州立大學(xué)的管理學(xué)助理教授,他分析了一組公交司機(jī)在兩周內(nèi)的表現(xiàn)。 在同類研究中,該研究首度觀察了人們?cè)谝欢螘r(shí)間內(nèi)的情緒表達(dá),并且比較了這種表達(dá)對(duì)男性和女性的不同影響。 斯科特的團(tuán)隊(duì)比較了表層偽裝(或假笑)和深層偽裝的不同效果。深層偽裝是指通過回想快樂的記憶來培養(yǎng)正面的情緒。 斯科特博士說:“女性在表層偽裝中受到的傷害更大,這意味著她們的情緒會(huì)比男性變得更糟,也更不想工作。 “但是,深層偽裝則能給她們更多幫助,她們的情緒能更好一些,對(duì)工作的積極性也更高?!?/p> 斯科特博士認(rèn)為女性在假裝快樂的時(shí)候更痛苦,因?yàn)橐话銇碚f女性相比男性更愿意表達(dá)自己的情感。 因此,在心情低落的時(shí)候強(qiáng)裝笑臉會(huì)跟她們平常的行為相悖,并導(dǎo)致更多的不良情緒。 但是斯科特博士說,盡管深層偽裝能在短期內(nèi)改善你的心情,但是它并不是應(yīng)對(duì)心情低落的長(zhǎng)期辦法。 他說:“如果你盡力去培養(yǎng)一種積極情緒,到一天結(jié)束的時(shí)候,你可能會(huì)有一種不真實(shí)的感覺?!?/p> 相關(guān)閱讀 澳經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家發(fā)明幸福計(jì)算公式 (中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語點(diǎn)津 崔旭燕 編輯:陳丹妮) |
Vocabulary: put a brave face on something: 強(qiáng)裝自信快樂;佯裝滿不在乎 counterproductive: 產(chǎn)生相反效果;事與愿違;適得其反 backfire: to have the opposite effect to the one intended, with bad or dangerous results 產(chǎn)生事與愿違的不良(或危險(xiǎn))后果 withdrawal: the act of no longer taking part in something or being a member of an organization 不再參加;退出(組織) |