In her book The Managed Heart, Arlie Hochschild defined emotional labor as that which "requires one to induce or suppress feelings in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others." Emotional labor is a type of performance integrated into the nature of the job itself. For example, a hostess at a gourmet restaurant must, with her mannerisms, facial expressions, and the tone of her voice, embody the overall image of the chef and the food as well as extend seemingly genuine care to her customers. This type of forced behavior for a desired emotional affect occurs in varying degrees down the food chain of service work, as Deborah Cameron describes in her study of call center workers, who are required to evoke "smiling," sincerity, and confidence while on the telephone with customers.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 506