Employees who deliver 'service with a smile' are more likely to drink heavily

Employees who deliver 'service with a smile' are more likely to drink heavily because 'faking a grin is draining' People in public-facing jobs who fake a smile or resist an eye-roll are at risk Forced to 'control' their emotions at work and then 'let loose' when home May be worse for people in 'unrewarding' jobs who 'fake it' just for the money 

By Alexandra Thompson Senior Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 12:13 BST, 10 April 2019 | Updated: 12:25 BST, 10 April 2019

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Employees who deliver 'service with a smile' may be more likely to drink heavily, research suggests.

A study found people in public-facing jobs who often force a grin or resist an eye-roll are more likely to hit the bottle at the end of the day.

Researchers believe those who feel they have to 'control' their emotions at work - such as nurses, call-centre workers and baristas - may 'let loose' when home because faking a grin is 'draining'.

Employees who deliver 'service with a smile' may be more likely to drink heavily (stock)

Employees who deliver 'service with a smile' may be more likely to drink heavily (stock)

The research was carried out by Pennsylvania State University and the University at Buffalo. It was led by Alicia Grandey, professor of psychology at Penn State.

'Faking and suppressing emotions with customers was related to drinking beyond the stress of the job or feeling negatively,' Professor Grandey said. 

''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.' 

Past studies have found a link between service workers and excessive alcohol consumption, however, the reason why this occurs was unclear.

To try and uncover the mystery, the researchers analysed data from the National Survey of Work Stress and Health.

This involved looking at the phone interviews of 1,592 workers in the US. The employees were asked how often they faked or suppressed emotions - known as 'surface acting' - and how much they drank after work.

Results - published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology - suggest workers who interact with the public drink more than those who do not. 

And those who 'surface act' also drink more, particularly if they feel they lack control at work.

'The relationship between surface acting and drinking after work was stronger for people who are impulsive or who lack personal control over behavior at work,' Professor Grandey said. 

'If you're impulsive or constantly told how to do your job, it may be harder to rein in your emotions all day, and when you get home, you don't have that self-control to stop after one drink.'

Results further revealed people

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