Faking positivity at work is causing leaders to burn out

Being forced to fake their emotions in the workplace is causing leaders to burn out, according to new research by emlyon business school.

The researchers say that this ‘surface acting’ creates a scientifically proven exhaustion loop that drains the very resources necessary to function well in interpersonal environments. As a result, cognitive capacity declines, authenticity erodes, and team trust suffers in ways that makes engaging in leadership more difficult in the future.

The study, conducted by Gordon Sayre, Professor of Management at emlyon business school, alongside colleagues from Pennsylvania State University, and National Sun Yat-Sen University, explored a common behaviour known as surface acting - where individuals present emotions they do not genuinely feel to meet professional expectations.

While often seen as part of being “professional,” the research shows that this emotional masking depletes leaders’ energy, increases exhaustion, and creates a self-reinforcing cycle that becomes harder to escape the longer it continues.

Participants took part in two intensive studies, with 55 employees in the first and 87 in the second, reporting on their emotional energy, emotion regulation, and recovery activities several times per day across multiple working days.

According to the findings, employees who begin the day feeling emotionally drained are more likely to engage in surface acting, and this behaviour further intensifies fatigue by the end of the day. Over time, this traps individuals in a spiral of maladaptive surface acting that can be difficult to break free from. It also reduces leaders’ capacity to remain present, authentic, and effective in their roles, affecting the quality of their interactions with colleagues and teams.

Professor Gordon Sayre explains that “employees may surface act not out of their own volition but rather because they are ‘stuck’ in a loss spiral.” This means employees continue to put on a positive front not because it is effective or healthy, but because depleted energy and emotional resources leave them without the capacity to engage in more genuine, adaptive forms of emotional regulation.

Importantly, the research also highlights how leaders can break this cycle. Recovery, involves replenishing depleted emotional energy by reducing demands and creating distance from work.

Professor Sayre says that “recovery after work effectively breaks the loss spiral of surface acting. By building in moments of emotional recovery, leaders are better equipped to shift from surface acting to more authentic emotional engagement, reducing strain, strengthening trust, and preventing exhaustion from taking hold.”

The researchers state that it is not about eliminating emotion, but about engaging with it more honestly. By doing so, leaders can preserve their energy, improve decision-making, and foster more resilient and authentic workplace relationships.

The researchers suggest that organisations need to move beyond resilience rhetoric and address the conditions that create emotional strain in the first place. Allowing time for genuine recovery, setting clearer boundaries around emotional demands, and reducing customer mistreatment can help prevent leaders and employees from becoming locked into cycles of exhaustion.

Supporting more authentic emotional engagement not only alleviates stress but also strengthens trust, decision-making and long-term performance.

ENDS

If you would like to have access to the research or hear more from Professor Gordon Sayre, please contact Adam Kelly-Moore at adam@bluesky-pr.com