Just realized I don't need to smile all day to be a good barber

Letting my face rest and not forcing a grin actually keeps me from feeling burnt out by closing time.

4 comments

4 Comments

Seriously, my friend Jen worked at a cafe and felt the same fake-smile pressure. It's like what @quinn_burns said about Kyle's food truck, that constant act is exhausting. She stopped forcing it and honestly seemed happier just doing the work well.

quinn_burns1mo ago

My buddy Kyle ran a food truck and thought he had to be 'on' for every customer. He was constantly grinning and making small talk until he was totally drained by lunch. He finally let his neutral face just exist and said it saved his sanity.

ivan7741mo ago

No way, @quinn_burns mentioned Kyle being totally drained by lunch from forcing smiles. That's crazy to me because I always thought customer service meant being on all the time. Letting your face just be neutral sounds so simple, but it actually saves your sanity. Mind blown.

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the_fiona1mo ago

Wasn't there a whole thing about "emotional labor" and service jobs? (I read an article about it ages ago.) That constant performance is like a second, unpaid shift for your brain. Letting your face just be its normal resting state isn't being rude, it's just not burning energy you need for the actual work. It's wild how we're trained to think being "on" means performing happiness all day.