Faking emotions at work could lead to burnout and negatively affect mental health, according to a recent study. (Credit: Photo illustration by Stefanie Goodwiller/University Marketing and Communications)
In a nutshell
- Faking emotions at work can lead to burnout and job dissatisfaction. Research shows that salespeople who engage in surface acting (pretending to feel emotions they don’t actually experience) are more likely to suffer from mental exhaustion and lower job satisfaction.
- Moral values influence how employees manage emotional labor. Salespeople with strong internal moral identities are more likely to use deep acting (genuinely trying to feel required emotions), which is less harmful than surface acting. Those who focus more on outward moral appearance may switch between both strategies.
- Customer interactions can worsen emotional strain. When customers detect inauthentic emotions, they often treat salespeople poorly, creating a harmful cycle that reduces job satisfaction and well-being. Companies should support employee mental health by fostering authentic work environments and emotional intelligence training.
OXFORD, Miss. — In the sales industry, “fake it till you make it” isn’t just a saying; it’s often a job requirement. Behind those seemingly genuine smiles and enthusiastic pitches, salespeople are performing complex emotional gymnastics that researchers call emotional labor. According to new international research, this emotional performance is seriously impacting employee mental health and job satisfaction.
A recent study published in Industrial Marketing Management explores how salespeople’s moral character influences how they manage their emotions at work and how this ultimately affects their well-being. Poor employee well-being costs U.S. companies an estimated $500 billion and results in 550 million lost workdays annually, so this is a big deal for both businesses and individuals.
Reports show that about 63% of salespeople struggle with mental health issues, and sales jobs are known for their intense pressure. This has only gotten worse since the pandemic, with salespeople facing new challenges and changing customer expectations.
“We are all under a lot of pressure, a lot of deadlines at work, right?” says study co-author Khashayar Afshar Bakeshloo (Kash) from the University of Mississippi, in a statement. “We wanted to look at the different factors that threaten employee’s mental health and lead to emotional exhaustion. One such factor that is very interesting to us was emotional labor.”
The Hidden Cost of Putting on a Happy Face
Emotional labor is the work of managing one’s emotions to meet job requirements. It comes in two main forms: surface acting and deep acting.
Surface acting is basically putting on a mask and showing emotions you don’t actually feel, like forcing a smile during a tough customer meeting. Deep acting goes further, where you actually try to generate the required emotions internally, like really trying to feel excited about a product you’re selling.
The researchers wanted to know how a salesperson’s moral character affects which approach they use, and how these approaches impact both customer behavior and the salesperson’s well-being.
They surveyed 313 B2B salespeople across various industries in the United States, representing different company sizes and offering various products and services. Most people in the study (72.5%) were men, which is typical in B2B sales.
When Values and Job Requirements Collide
Salespeople who deeply value moral traits as part of who they are (what researchers call “moral identity internalization”) are more likely to try genuinely feeling the emotions their job requires, rather than just faking them.
On the other hand, salespeople who focus more on publicly showing their morality (called “moral identity symbolization”) tend to use both approaches depending on the situation—sometimes genuinely trying to feel the emotions, other times just putting on a show.
Customers can often tell when a salesperson is being fake, and they frequently respond by treating the salesperson poorly or disrespectfully. This negative customer behavior then makes salespeople less satisfied with their jobs, creating a harmful cycle.
“Managing emotions to meet job demands can lead to exhaustion, dissatisfaction, and negative customer reactions,” says study co-author Omar Itani from Lebanese American University. “Job satisfaction is essential for overall well-being, emphasizing the need for supportive workplace cultures.”
In sales roles, where rejection is common, the pressure to perform can lead to significant emotional strain. More than 70% of people working in sales reported struggling with mental health in the 2024 State of Mental Health in Sales report.
“Salespeople are expensive employees,” explains Afshar. “They bring in money for the organization. So, if they miss an opportunity, it means that there’s no money coming in. When a salesperson burns out, it’s not just a loss of the person, but it’s also everything they bring to the company.”
Creating Healthier Work Environments
So, what can employees and employers do? Aligning personal values with job expectations can help salespeople manage emotional labor more effectively. Those in roles that require frequent emotional acting should consider workplaces that support authenticity, mental health resources, and ethical leadership to reduce burnout. Sales managers can work to foster environments like these.
“Communication is the key here,” adds Afshar. “When employees can communicate their problems, they aren’t dealing with problems alone. When they feel safe talking to their managers, their colleagues, it tends to remove some of that burden.”
Who are you really?
The data shows that authenticity—matching your true feelings with your external expressions—benefits both salespeople and their customers. For individual salespeople experiencing burnout, make sure your workplace aligns with your values.
“There are two entities at play here: your individual self and your organizational self,” says Afshar. “The best way forward would be when these two different identities are aligned. Look for those jobs that are in agreement in terms of who you are and what your job requires you to be.”
When businesses prioritize customer satisfaction at any cost, they may inadvertently be creating unsustainable emotional demands on their salespeople. The irony is that customers can detect this inauthenticity anyway, creating a lose-lose scenario where salespeople sacrifice their well-being for a strategy that customers ultimately reject. Maybe the most effective sales approach isn’t about perfecting the performance, but about creating environments where authenticity can flourish naturally.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The researchers collected data from 313 B2B salespeople working in the United States through an online survey. They included screening questions to ensure participants worked in B2B sales rather than consumer sales. The survey measured moral identity (internalization and symbolization), emotional labor strategies (deep and surface acting), customer injustice, and job satisfaction. They also collected data on factors like organizational ethical climate, religiosity, and demographics. Data was analyzed using statistical modeling to test relationships between these variables.
Results
The study found that salespeople with strong internalized moral identity (those who deeply value moral traits) were more likely to engage in deep acting and less likely to use surface acting when interacting with customers. Those with high moral identity symbolization (who focus on displaying moral traits to others) tended to use both forms of emotional labor. Surface acting had a stronger negative impact on customer interactions than deep acting, with customers more likely to treat salespeople poorly when they detected emotional inauthenticity. This customer injustice, in turn, reduced job satisfaction among salespeople.
Limitations
The study’s main limitations include its cross-sectional design (data collected at a single point in time), which prevents establishing definitive causal relationships. The sample was limited to U.S. salespeople, so findings may not apply to other cultures with different social expectations. The researchers focused on job satisfaction as their primary measure of well-being rather than using more comprehensive well-being measures. They also didn’t examine genuine emotions as an alternative to emotional labor strategies.
Discussion and Takeaways
For organizations, the findings suggest hiring practices should consider candidates’ moral identity, particularly internalization, as these employees may engage more authentically with customers. Companies should create supportive work environments with mental health resources and provide training in emotional intelligence and self-regulation strategies. Regular communication channels where employees can share concerns may help reduce the negative effects of emotional labor. For individuals, seeking alignment between personal values and organizational expectations may reduce emotional labor demands and improve well-being.
Funding and Disclosures
The paper does not mention specific funding sources or disclosures related to the research. The study appears to have been conducted as part of the authors’ regular academic responsibilities across their affiliated universities.
Publication Information
This study, “The interplay of morality, emotional labor, and customer injustice: How salesperson experiences shape job satisfaction,” was published in Industrial Marketing Management (Volume 124, 2025, pages 162-174). The authors are Omar S. Itani, Colin B. Gabler, Ashish Kalra, Khashayar Afshar Bakeshloo (Kash), and Raj Agnihotri, affiliated with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Lebanese American University, Auburn University, University of Dayton, T A Pai Management Institute, University of Mississippi, and Iowa State University.
