emotional labor

American  

[ih-moh-shuh-nl ley-ber] / ɪˈmoʊ ʃə nl ˈleɪ bər /

noun

1. the sum of small acts performed by one person to make other people’s lives more pleasant and to protect them from negativity, including hiding the effort required to do so.

2. the suppression of negative emotion and the assumption of a polite and cheerful facade at work, especially by employees in the service industry, as waitstaff, flight attendants, sales clerks, etc.

---

Etymology

Origin of emotional labor

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

It takes emotional labor to disarm your deep moral and political alarm system and permit yourself a great deal of genuine curiosity about people who you see as some type of Other.

From Salon

As Hough might point out, redemption isn’t given, it’s earned through hard emotional labor — and it’s inside you all along.

From Washington Post

The emotional labor I put into this, it’s not so much like people are looking to me for how to behave, thank God,” she said.

From New York Times

“Images are also expensive to make. Years of work went into the creation of ‘Cellophane,’ from physical training to the emotional labor of unpacking Twigs’ life to construct images told her story of trauma and recovery.

From Los Angeles Times

For Lauren Patten, a star of “Jagged Little Pill,” one-on-one online interactions require more emotional labor than a quick selfie, which justifies the price.

From New York Times