We all have our bad days. No one is going to wake up each and every morning in a cheery mood. Sometimes we all feel just a little bit grumpier than usual, and that's just a part of being human. Yet once we get to the office, many in the workforce1 feel obligated to hide their emotions, whether they be frustration2, anger, or sadness. Interestingly, a new study finds keeping one's behavior at the office authentic3 will result in greater productivity and a better relationship with co-workers. In other words: act how you feel, and don't fake it.
大家都有不顺心的时候。很少有人每天早上起床都是开开心心的。有时候我们觉得比平时更暴躁,但这也是人之常情。然而一旦我们踏进办公室,许多人就觉得有必要藏起自己的情绪,无论是感到绝望、生气还是悲伤。有趣的是,一项新研究发现,在办公室里表里如一能提高工作效率,还能改善和同事之间的关系。换言之,表露出内心感受,不要强装笑脸。
"We found that people who put forth4 effort to display positive emotions towards others at work receive higher levels of support and trust from co-workers," explains Chris Rosen, management professor at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, in a release. "These people also reported significantly higher levels of progress on work goals likely due to the support they received."
阿肯色州大学的山姆·M·沃顿商学院的管理学教授克里斯·罗森在一份报告中解释道:“我们发现,职场中努力向他人展现出积极情绪的人,从同事那里得到的支持和信任更多。由于他们所得到的支持,这些人也能更好地实现工作目标。”
It's extremely common for the average workspace to preach an attitude of unrelenting positivity. While this may be beneficial from the CEO's perspective, it just isn't realistic when applied5 to real people with real problems and daily tribulations6. That's why, the research team have concluded, employees will actually feel better, work harder, and connect more with their peers if they don't hide their feelings with a fake smile.
大多数公司都宣扬一种没有人情味的积极的工作态度。也许从首席执行官的角度来看,这种积极性是有益的,但对于被真实问题和每日磨难困扰的人来说,这种要求太不现实了。因此,研究团队得出结论说,如果员工无需隐藏情绪、无需强装笑脸,他们的感觉会更好、工作会更努力,和同事的关系也会更紧密。
Over 2,500 working adults, from a variety of industries such as finance or engineering, took part in this research via surveys. The questionnaires measured two distinct types of on-the-job emotional regulation: surface acting7 and deep acting.
这项研究招募了2500多名在职员工参与调查,他们来自金融、工程等多个行业。通过填写调查问卷,研究人员衡量了两种不同的职场情绪调节方式:“表层情绪调节”和“深层情绪调节”。
Surface acting means faking happiness while interacting with other employees, and deep acting refers to actively8 trying to change one's emotions and feelings in order to be more pleasant at work. The study's authors were interested to see how common it is for working adults to regulate their emotions while on the clock, and if so, why? What benefits are employees gaining from such behavior?
“表层情绪调节”指的是和同事互动时,一个人表面上假装出来的快乐情绪,而“深层情绪调节”指的是为了取悦同事,一个人主动地去改变自己的情绪和感受。该研究的作者想知道,上班族在工作时调节自己情绪的做法有多普遍,如果大家普遍都会调节情绪,为什么要这么做,以及员工从这种行为中获得的好处。
After analyzing9 all of the survey responses, researchers identified four distinct types of individuals who disguise or regulate their emotions around co-workers. Non-actors rarely hide their true feelings, and if they do, only to a very small extent. Low actors usually take part in only slight deep and surface acting. Deep actors perform lots of deep acting and low levels of surface acting, and regulators exhibit high levels of both surface and deep acting.
在分析了所有的调查问卷之后,研究人员确定了四种不同类型的情绪调节者:第一种,“无调节型”,这种人基本上不隐藏自己的感受,有什么说什么,就算是隐藏,也是非常少的;第二种,“低层次调节型”,这种员工通常只会使用一些比较肤浅的掩饰手法来隐藏自己的感受;第三种,“深层次调节型”,他们会使用大量的“深层情绪调节”,再加上一点“表层情绪调节”;第四种,“全面调节型”,他们展现出高水平的“表层情绪调节”和“深层情绪调节”技能。
Proportionally, non-actors were by far the smallest identified group in the study.
研究发现,迄今为止,“无调节型”的员工所占的比例是最小的。
Regulators, or employees who tend to hide their true feelings most often, are usually motivated by feelings of self-interest. These people believe that by hiding their feelings they will gain access to additional work resources, and look good in front of their managers and co-workers. Deep actors, on the other hand, are usually more motivated by "pro-social" factors. This means they choose to hide their emotions because they believe it fosters a healthier working environment.
最频繁地掩饰真实情绪的“全面调节型”员工通常是出于对自身利益的考虑。这些人认为,通过隐藏自己的感受,他们可以获得额外的工作资源,给上司和同事的印象也会比较好。而“深层次调节型”员工则通常是从有利于社会的因素出发,这意味着他们选择隐藏自己的情绪是因为他们相信这有助于营造更健康的工作环境。
Regulators are the most likely of the four to experience great emotional fatigue10 and exhaustion11. Meanwhile, deep actors tend to achieve improved well-being12 most frequently.
“全面调节型”员工是四种类型当中最容易感到身心俱疲的。与此同时,“深层次调节型”员工往往是幸福感最高的那种人。
The study is published in the Journal of Applied Psychology13.
该研究报告发表在《应用心理学杂志》上。
1 workforce [ˈwɜ:kfɔ:s] 第8级 | |
n.劳动大军,劳动力 | |
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2 frustration [frʌˈstreɪʃn] 第8级 | |
n.挫折,失败,失效,落空 | |
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3 authentic [ɔ:ˈθentɪk] 第7级 | |
adj.真的,真正的;可靠的,可信的,有根据的 | |
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4 forth [fɔ:θ] 第7级 | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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5 applied [əˈplaɪd] 第8级 | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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6 tribulations [ˌtrɪbjəˈleɪʃənz] 第11级 | |
n.苦难( tribulation的名词复数 );艰难;苦难的缘由;痛苦 | |
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7 acting [ˈæktɪŋ] 第7级 | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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8 actively ['æktɪvlɪ] 第9级 | |
adv.积极地,勤奋地 | |
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9 analyzing ['ænəlaɪzɪŋ] 第7级 | |
v.分析;分析( analyze的现在分词 );分解;解释;对…进行心理分析n.分析 | |
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10 fatigue [fəˈti:g] 第7级 | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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11 exhaustion [ɪgˈzɔ:stʃən] 第8级 | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
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12 well-being [wel 'bi:ɪŋ] 第8级 | |
n.安康,安乐,幸福 | |
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13 psychology [saɪˈkɒlədʒi] 第7级 | |
n.心理,心理学,心理状态 | |
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