The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling

The Managed Heart examines how emotions and their expression become commodified in modern service work. Through extensive research with flight attendants and bill collectors, sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild introduces the concept of "emotional labor" - the work of managing feelings to create a public display. Hochschild conducts interviews and observes workers to document how they handle the gap between their genuine emotions and what their jobs require them to show. The research reveals specific techniques workers use to modify their feelings, from surface acting to deep acting, and explores the personal costs of performing emotional labor over time. Through analysis of training materials, company policies, and worker experiences, the book traces how organizations attempt to standardize and control employees' emotional displays. Hochschild examines the different demands placed on workers based on gender, class, and status within organizations. The book raises fundamental questions about authenticity, alienation, and the commercialization of human experience in contemporary capitalism. Its framework for understanding emotional labor has influenced decades of scholarship in sociology, gender studies, and organizational behavior.

Readers value the book's research on emotional labor and its impact on service workers, particularly flight attendants. The concept of "feeling rules" resonates with many who work in customer service positions. Likes: - Clear examples from real workplace situations - Detailed research methodology - Relevance to modern work environments - Analysis of gender roles in emotional labor Dislikes: - Dense academic writing style - Repetitive concepts - Limited scope (focuses mainly on flight attendants) - Dated examples from the 1980s One reader noted: "The interviews with flight attendants perfectly capture the exhaustion of constant emotional performance." Another wrote: "The academic language made it difficult to get through, despite the important message." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (3,900+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (270+ ratings) Google Books: 4/5 (200+ ratings) Most academic readers rate it higher than general readers, who sometimes struggle with its scholarly tone.

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🎭 When flight attendants were trained in "emotional labor" in the 1950s and '60s, they were required to maintain a smile weighing precisely 1.5 ounces – no more, no less. 📚 Author Arlie Russell Hochschild coined the term "emotional labor" in this groundbreaking 1983 book, which has since become a cornerstone concept in sociology and workplace studies. ✈️ Delta Airlines' training manual from the era instructed flight attendants to think of passengers as personal guests in their living room, even when dealing with inappropriate behavior. 🔬 Hochschild's research revealed that professionals who perform extensive emotional labor often experience "emotive dissonance," a disconnect between their true feelings and those they must display at work. 💼 The book's findings were based on extensive interviews with flight attendants and bill collectors – two professions that require opposite forms of emotional labor: one nurturing and pleasant, the other stern and confrontational.