When Smiles Are Mandatory: The Hidden Cost of Forced Positivity at Work

In the modern workplace, there’s a growing tension between what we feel and what we’re expected to display. On the surface, organizations preach authenticity and well-being, but behind the scenes, many quietly enforce a policy of positivity. Employees in service roles, support functions, and even internal teams are increasingly expected to smile, remain upbeat, and exude optimism, regardless of their feelings.

The question is not whether positivity is valuable, but what happens when it becomes mandatory. More importantly, how can organizations shift from emotional compliance to emotional intelligence?

From Coffee Cups to Smile Scores: When Emotion Becomes a Deliverable

Across industries, emotional performance is becoming institutionalized. At Starbucks, baristas are encouraged to write cheerful messages on cups to create “moments of connection.” In Japan, the AEON supermarket chain has gone a step further—using AI-powered cameras to rate employee smiles based on facial expressions and vocal tone, standardizing what a “pleasant” employee looks like.

These efforts aim to enhance customer experience, but they also reveal a more profound shift: happiness is no longer just a feeling—it’s becoming a metric. Employees aren’t just hired for skills or experience, but for their ability to perform emotions on command.

• Instead of scripting emotions, encourage sincere interaction. Empower employees to create real moments of connection, rather than perform standardized gestures.

• Train leaders to model - not monitor - emotional tone. Create a culture where managers lead by emotional example rather than by compliance checks.

  
  

Toxic Positivity: When Good Vibes Become a Bad Policy

What’s the harm in asking people to “stay positive”? Research suggests: quite a lot.

Sociologist Arlie Hochschild (1983) coined the term emotional labor to describe the toll of displaying emotions that are not genuinely felt. This dissonance - between what’s felt and what must be shown- accumulates psychological stress over time. Employees engaged in constant surface acting experience higher burnout, reduced job satisfaction, and increased turnover (Grandey, 2003; Gabriel et al., 2021).

This phenomenon, toxic positivity, isn’t just about individual discomfort. It creates cultures where real emotions - frustration, fatigue, uncertainty - are dismissed or hidden. The result? Less trust, lower belonging, and a shallow version of engagement.

• Replace “positive thinking” with emotional permission. Create space in meetings or check-ins for expressing real concerns, not just celebrating.

• Support emotional complexity, not sanitize it. Let people know that struggle and growth are not opposites—they go hand-in-hand.

  
  

The Happiness Illusion: Cheerfulness vs. Authentic Culture

There’s a critical difference between promoting a positive culture and requiring constant cheerfulness. The former fosters resilience, while the latter breeds resentment.

Authentic engagement doesn’t come from forced smiles. It comes from meaning, connection, and the freedom to be real. Leaders who create psychologically safe spaces - where employees can share doubts, voice challenges, and speak honestly - don’t just boost morale. They build teams that trust each other, learn together, and grow stronger through adversity (Edmondson, 2019).

• Create emotionally intelligent rituals. Use tools like team retrospectives or anonymous pulse surveys to gauge people's real feelings.

• Celebrate more than enthusiasm. Recognize grit, thoughtfulness, and emotional honesty—not just charisma or smiles.

  
  

Lead with Presence, Not Performance

Mandated happiness is performative. Absolute trust, by contrast, is relational.

As leaders and organizations rethink the workplace in the age of hybrid models, digital fatigue, and post-pandemic uncertainty, it’s not enough to chase productivity. We must also design for emotional sustainability. That starts by asking better questions: Not “Are people smiling?”—but “Do they feel seen?”

• Model emotional range as a leader. When leaders express vulnerability and name their emotions, others feel safer to do the same.

• Build cultures of psychological safety. Encourage questions, invite dissent, and allow emotions to emerge without penalty or stigma.

  
  

Final Thought: Don’t Ask for Smiles—Give People Something to Smile About

When happiness becomes an obligation, it stops being a gift. Smiles earned through trust, belonging, and authentic leadership last far longer than those measured by facial-recognition software.

Workplaces don’t need more mandatory cheerleading. They need deeper permission to feel, question, grow, and be human.

References

• Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.

• Gabriel, A. S., Koopman, J., Rosen, C. C., & Johnson, R. E. (2021). Helping Others or Helping Oneself? Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(1), 1–30.

• Grandey, A. A. (2003). When “The Show Must Go On”: Surface Acting and Deep Acting as Determinants of Emotional Exhaustion and Peer-Rated Service Delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46(1), 86–96.

• Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press.