Contextualizing Emotional Display Rules: Examining the Roles of Targets and Discrete Emotions in Shaping Display Rule Perceptions

Abstract

The present investigation explored how emotional display rules at work differed as a function of discrete emotions and specific work targets. Display rules for the positive emotion of happiness were most likely to involve expressing the emotion as felt or expressing it with less intensity than is felt. Display rules for the negative emotions of sadness and anger were equally likely to involve showing nothing of the emotion or showing the emotion with less intensity than is felt. In contrast, display rules for fear, disgust, and contempt were most likely to involve showing nothing of the emotions. Furthermore, display rules differed across organizational targets, with the most control over emotional displays occurring for customer targets and the least control occurring for coworker targets. In sum, emotional display rules at work appear to be much more complex and nuanced than has been shown in previous organizational research.