The emotional labor of nursing has been studied worldwide since the early 1990s, having as main reference the studies of Professor Pam Smith, and proves to be very useful for nurses to guide their practice by human and holistic care.

His concept:

Fineman (2008) defines emotional labour as a human process produced at the meeting person-person, which involves intense energy on the part of the professional, in order to present an emotional disposition that leads to transformation of disturbing emotions and promotion of well-being on the other. Emotional labour involves managing negative feelings so that they become a disturbing experience (which minimizes the suffering). It means taking care of customers passing tranquility and calm but also safety, creating an affective and positive environment, so that it can feel safe and confident.

I am investigator in this area of the Emotional Labour in Nursing. In my PhD thesis I define emotional labour in pediatric nursing as "performance in nursing incorporates actions entered in the care process, affective-emotional dimension, which aim to positively transform the experiences of the actors involved in care, with the intention of promoting global well-being" (Diogo, 2012). See https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paula_Diogo/contributions/?ev=prf_act

In a brief, we can characterize the emotional labour as strategies to manage the emotions of anather (in the health-disease process) and to manage his own emotions of nurses (health professionals).

Please see Professor Pam Smith profile in https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pam_Smith4/reputation/?ev=brs_rep_tab

Dear Paula,

I do not know, if I understood your question well, but I think, this paper can be helpful for you.

Article Review of expressed emotion research in health care

...and maybe this too....

Article The role of discrete emotions in health outcomes: A critical review

For an economical perspective, I suggest this paper.

Article The cost of mood disorders

Thank you very much, Béla! I will study the items mentioned. The question might seem very open, but it's intentional. The idea is to enhance the discussion.

Hi Paula

Thayer and Lane (2000) have proposed the Neurovisceral integration model of emotion dysregulation – a model that accounts for the relationship between emotion dysregulation and health. Emotional dysregulation negatively affects a major homeostatic system in the body, ultimately resulting in a greater prevalence for disease (especially cardiovascular disease). From an economic prospective, emotion dysregulation can indirectly cost billions of dollars in treatment, especially for cardiovascular disease (American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommitte, 2012). I have attached the Thayer and Lane (2000) article. I hope this helps!

Hi Paula,

I considered it an interesting issue, taking into account that such a high number of holistic therapies work with the fact that emotions and physical body are extremely related - working with the body to work with an emotion and inversely, working with an emotion to work with a body symptom- (acupuncture, kinesiology, meditation, etc.) But it’s difficult to find scientific research that contemplates the complexity of those therapies. I send you a recent article that maybe you have seen, about emotional human patterns in the body called “bodily maps emotions” (Lauri Nummenmaa et al. 2013). I hope it’s useful for you. Aina

Article Bodily maps of emotions

Dear Aina,

introduced a new perspective on the regulation of emotions with positive influence on people's health. Emotional literacy & health promotion. It is a very fruitful perspective in the study of emotions in health.

The articles and links to all references made are very interesting.

Well, I remember the case when one country explicitly forbade hospital nurses to make love with their pacients. It lenghtened staying of pacients in hospital for ten days on average.

I think it has some relation with human care and surely with economical costs.

The emotional labor of nursing has been studied worldwide since the early 1990s, having as main reference the studies of Professor Pam Smith, and proves to be very useful for nurses to guide their practice by human and holistic care.

His concept:

Fineman (2008) defines emotional labour as a human process produced at the meeting person-person, which involves intense energy on the part of the professional, in order to present an emotional disposition that leads to transformation of disturbing emotions and promotion of well-being on the other. Emotional labour involves managing negative feelings so that they become a disturbing experience (which minimizes the suffering). It means taking care of customers passing tranquility and calm but also safety, creating an affective and positive environment, so that it can feel safe and confident.

I am investigator in this area of the Emotional Labour in Nursing. In my PhD thesis I define emotional labour in pediatric nursing as "performance in nursing incorporates actions entered in the care process, affective-emotional dimension, which aim to positively transform the experiences of the actors involved in care, with the intention of promoting global well-being" (Diogo, 2012). See https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paula_Diogo/contributions/?ev=prf_act

In a brief, we can characterize the emotional labour as strategies to manage the emotions of anather (in the health-disease process) and to manage his own emotions of nurses (health professionals).

Please see Professor Pam Smith profile in https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pam_Smith4/reputation/?ev=brs_rep_tab

As Professor Paula Diogo says, this question is very broad.

Emotions can have a tremendous impact on health in several ways. First of all, we can't forget that not only patients or nusing clients feel emotions. Nurses and other healthcare professionals have them too and the caregiving process involves and can't ignore those emotions. Jean Watson (2002) refers to transpersonal caring as an overlap of the phenomenological fields of the nurse and client recognizing that emotions are part of healthcare and can be uses as a therapeutic instrument.

Furthermore, health-disease processes are usually experienced as negative, rather than a growth and potencially developing experience and it is our job as caregivers to transform that experience into a more positive one.

This is a great topic and some thoughtful answers being provided. One way to think about this question systematically (AKA impose some order on the massive amount of literature that addresses the question is to consider the specific interface we are talking about. In a few recent works, my colleagues and I have suggested that these links can be organized at five or six "junctures" such that the link between a given emotion (e.g., anxiety) can be positive, negative, or neutral depending on whether we are discussing direct physiological costs, health behavior, screening, decision-making or adherence. I've attached a couple of recent examples.

Very interesting, Nathan! The systematization is essential to organize knowledge and to better understanding and ownership. I will examine carefully the article as the approach of the six "junctures".

We do not know scientifically.

it will depend on type of emotion. for example if emotions come in regard to happiness,it will be good for health.for example when we feel love for our partner or our child then Oxycontin hormone is released which is good for muscles and in turn for long life.

and so emotions coming as a result of sorrow will definitely harm to our health.

Harold Koenig and Alexander Moreira-Almeida has published some articles, reviews and research about the theme!

Harold Koenig and Alexander Moreira-Almeida has published some articles, reviews and research about the theme!