U Of A: ‘Fake It Until You Make It’ Not The Best Mantra At Work

TUCSON, AZ — A new University of Arizona study asserts that the age-old “Fake it until you make it” isn’t a good mantra to use in the workplace. The study results indicate that truly feeling the emotions you’re showing others is a more productive approach.

The study looked at a couple types of workplace emotion regulation:

• Surface acting: When an individual fakes emotions outwardly to appear positive or pleasant when a person is really frustrated or upset internally.
• Deep acting: Where an individual attempts to align outward interaction with how the individual is feeling internally.

The research comprised results of a survey of adults employed in fields such as financial services, engineering, manufacturing and education.

The survey helped researchers — led by U of A business associate professor Allison Gabriel — to find out if respondents were engaging in surface acting or deep acting emotion regulation at work. And if they were, what was their motivation and what did they gain from doing so.

Survey data results helped Gabriel and her team of researchers – from Texas A&M University, the University of Arkansas and Florida State University – identify four groups of individuals:

• Nonactors: Those engaging in “negligible” deep-acting and surface-acting levels
• Low actors: Individuals engaging in slightly more deep acting and surface acting than nonactors
• Deep actors: Those engaging in the most intensive deep-acting levels while engaging in surface acting at low levels
• Regulators: People engaging in high levels of both deep acting and surface acting

In all the studies the team conducted, the smallest group turned out to be nonactors. The other three groups each had a comparable number of people.

Researchers then identified two emotion regulation motivators: impression management and prosocial motives. Impression management is a strategy to maintain a good image in front of supervisors and colleagues, or to gain resource access. Prosocial motives are about forging positive workplace relationships and being a good colleague.

The survey results indicated that regulators were most likely to be motivated by impression management. In contrast, prosocial concerns were a more likely motivation for deep actors.

Gabriel said the study led to the primary conclusion that deep actors can benefit from emotion regulation. “The main takeaway is that deep actors — those who are really trying to be positive with their coworkers — do so for prosocial reasons and reap significant benefits from these efforts,” she said. Such benefits include intangibles such as more coworker support including advice or workload assistance. Compared to the other three groups, deep actor surveys also indicated notably higher coworker trust and work goal progress levels.

Meanwhile, employees engaging in high levels of both deep- and surface-acting experienced mental and physical strain, according to researchers. “Regulators suffered the most on our markers of well-being, including increased levels of feeling emotionally exhausted and inauthentic at work,” Gabriel said.

While the study was conducted, some managers told Gabriel they felt “emotions have little to do with the workplace.” However, research data appear to contradict that, so Gabriel believes showing positive emotions in the workplace can be beneficial.

“I think the ‘fake it until you make it’ idea suggests a survival tactic at work,” Gabriel said. “Maybe plastering on a smile to simply get out of an interaction is easier in the short run, but long term, it will undermine efforts to improve your health and the relationships you have at work.

“In many ways, it all boils down to, ‘Let’s be nice to each other.’ Not only will people feel better, but people’s performance and social relationships can also improve,” Gabriel concluded.