Psychology says the most exhausting relationships aren't the ones with constant conflict - they're the ones where you're doing all the emotional labor of connection while the other person coasts on your effort - Silicon Canals

"The term emotional labor was coined in 1983 by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in her book The Managed Heart. She was studying flight attendants and the toll of being required to project warmth, friendliness, and calm regardless of how they actually felt."

"Hochschild also named something she called 'emotional dissonance,' the gap between what you genuinely feel and what you're performing for others. Research has since linked this dissonance to burnout, depression, anxiety, and a sense of losing touch with your own authentic emotions."

"Emotional labor is associated with job dissatisfaction, depersonalization, and emotional exhaustion, particularly when it involves what researchers call 'surface acting,' faking emotions you do not genuinely feel."

Emotional labor refers to the effort of managing emotional expressions to meet others' expectations, leading to exhaustion and disconnection from genuine feelings. Coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild, the term highlights the toll of maintaining a facade of warmth and friendliness, particularly in jobs like flight attendants. Emotional dissonance, the gap between true feelings and performed emotions, is linked to burnout, anxiety, and job dissatisfaction. This imbalance often results in one person doing the emotional work while the other remains indifferent, creating a draining dynamic in relationships.

Read at Silicon Canals