[originaltext] (26) Pretending to be happy can actually make you more misera

(26) Pretending to be happy can actually make you more miserable, especially if you re a woman, according to a new study. Researchers found that walking around with a forced smile and faking happiness simply led to people feeling gloomier. So, putting a brave face on your woes (悲伤) could actually be counterproductive. The study found that women suffered more than men when pretending to be happy. Psychologist Dr. Brent Scott, who led the study, said employers should take note because forcing workers to smile when dealing with the public can backfire. (27)He said "Smiling for the sake of smiling can lead to emotional exhaustion and withdrawal, and that’s bad for the organization." Research showed customer-service workers who faked smile throughout the day worsened their mood and then withdrew from work, so their productivity dropped. Bosses may think that getting their staff to smile is good for the organization, but that is not necessarily the case. His team examined the effects of surface acting—or fake smiling—compared to what was termed "deep acting," or cultivating positive emotions by recalling pleasant memories. Dr. Scott said women were harmed more by surface acting, meaning their mood worsened even more than men and they were more likely to withdraw from work. (28)But in a way, they were helped more by deep acting, which means their mood improved more and they withdrew less. However, deep acting seemed to improve mood in the short-term, and it was not a long-term solution to feeling unhappy. If you’re trying to cultivate positive emotions, you may not feel like yourself anymore at the end of the day.
26. What can we learn from the new study?
27. Why is fake smiling bad for an organization according to Dr. Brent Scott?
28. What can we learn about women from this passage?