Ridiculous Study of the Week: Smiling Makes Me Drink
I thought this was a scam but I guess not. A study in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology found that:
- Employees who force themselves to smile or evoke or positive emotions in front of customers are more likely to drink heavily after they clock out.
- The study found employees who interacted with the public drank more alcohol after work. Researchers also found a link between “surface acting” and heavy drinking.
Yup, money was spent for this study. It’s not proof. Just an association. So, employees should NOT try to be nice now? I thought millennials were doing this already?
Okay, one last quote:
“Nurses, for example, may amplify or fake their emotions for clear reasons,” Grandey said. “They’re trying to comfort a patient or build a strong relationship. But someone who is faking emotions for a customer they may never see again, that may not be as rewarding, and may ultimately be more draining or demanding.”
Do any ER docs want to chime in on this?
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Drinking makes me smile.
It’s only ridiculous because it is bleedingly obvious. Anyone wanting to stay employed in the ED must expend enormous effort every day to NOT say what they actually think. “Why yes ma’am, that is a really angry bug bite that you only got an hour ago … perhaps your child has red tonsils, but it would be easier to tell if they weren’t coated with the Cheetos you keep feeding him during the interview..so that tooth graveyard you’re sporting just started hurting yesterday, you don’t have money for a dentist despite your 2 pack/day habit, and you’re allergic to all NSAID’s…I can understand why you want your mother checked out, given that she no longer speaks and has been bed-bound for 5 years…”
And a pro-tip: this weekend is the 145th running of the Kentucky Derby. The appropriate bourbon is Maker’s Mark, and only fresh mint leaves are acceptable, preferably in a silver julep cup. Anything “mint-flavored” should get your banned from decent society.