I'm sure you've done it without even realizing it. You’ve walked past a coworker or maybe a customer, give them a fake smile, and then continue walking with a straight face, while counting down the hours until you can go home. Believe me… I’ve been there and done that, the whole 7 years I worked at a restaurant supply chain (before I got into radio), this was a daily habit.
It turns out that whole "service with a smile" thing might not actually be the best thing, unless your boss doesn't care about your mental health. According to a new study from a team of researchers at Penn State and the University at Buffalo, they found that forcing a smile for customers can lead to more drinking after work.
The study looked at jobs where people have to interact with the general public. Some job examples were: nurses, teachers, and fast food workers.It found that people who have to smile a lot tend to resort to consuming alcoholic beverages more after their shift ends.
The researchers think it's because we all have a limited amount of self-control each day. If you have to waste it on pretending to be happy at work, you don't have much left over to control how much you drink.
Read the full study HERE