emotional labor

[ ih-moh-shuh-nl ley-ber ]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of emotional labor¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

“For mothers specifically, it’s more of the emotional labor we have to take on because the vast majority of us —not me, though — are ‘food people,’” said Margaret Quinlan, a researcher at the University of North Carolina who studies the intersection between parenting and health.

From Salon

My husband and I have been arguing nonstop about emotional labor and my ongoing attempts to decenter him in our marriage.

From Los Angeles Times

After focusing so much emotional labor into “Submarine,” Zardoya was under the impression that sharing it with the world might help her move on.

From Los Angeles Times

Women don the mantle of emotional labor like the latest crossbody bag, determined to make our relationships work.

From Salon

In Westeros, a woman is measured by her supposedly weaker body's ability to perform the rituals of emotional labor so that a man can reap the political benefits, and beget trueborn children so that a man can pass on his family name.

From Salon