Faking Smiles On The Job Leads To Heavier Drinking After Work, Study Finds

PITTSBURGH (CBS) — Service with a smile, it's an expectation for those who routinely work with the public. But forcing that smile may have its consequences.

Most people who have worked in customer service can relate to the struggle because in some work environments, a scowl is frowned upon. But showing off those pearly whites may come at a risk.

Sometimes, depending on your day job, you gotta fake that smile.

A study from Penn State and the University of Buffalo found that employees who forced themselves to smile at work in front of customers were at a greater risk for heavier drinking once they got home.

The reason? Researchers say it comes down to suppressing how one really feels.

"You are tense at work, your workload is heavy," one woman said. "People get on your nerves."

Under that service with a smile, an eye roll is held in.

"No matter how nice you are, there's just that one person you can't please," one woman said.

And that can be draining. Researchers found that the more workers have to control negative emotions on the job, the less likely they were able to control their alcohol intake.

"Even if I'm fake smiling at work, I don't go home and drink," one woman said.

The study's authors suggested that workplaces ease up on "service with a smile" policies, but some did tell us a smile — real or phony — does provide the benefit of being well-liked at work and that's a win.

"It's kind of good to have even a fake smile, at least because it lightens the mood," a man said.

Drinking habits aside, researchers from the University of Tennessee and Texas A&M also released a study this week and found that smiling can really make people slightly happier in the moment.