Your poker face could be taking its toll

A new study from Rice University, the University of Toronto and Purdue University has found that the more you have to suppress emotions while at work, the more it affects your health – adversely.

Many people have to keep their feelings hidden while at work. Journalists, health care professionals, social workers, lawyers and law enforcement officers have to keep their feelings bottled up while on the job and the findings from the study imply that this may leave them without the necessary energy to complete their important tasks efficiently.

Daniel Beal at Rice University stated:

"It takes energy to suppress emotions, so it's not surprising that workers who must remain neutral are often more rundown or show greater levels of burnout. The more energy you spend controlling your emotions, the less energy you have to devote to the task at hand,"

This means that neutral displays of emotion could take more energy for emotional suppression and less energy for the actual task at hand.