noun Internet Slang

Emotional Labor

/ɪˈmoʊʃənəl ˈleɪbər/ · noun · informal

The invisible effort of managing feelings and relationships — usually unthanked.

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Definitions

1

Loosely, the draining effort of being someone's unpaid therapist or organizer.

“I'm done doing the emotional labor in this friendship by myself.”
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2

Originally, the job requirement to perform certain emotions for pay, like a flight attendant staying cheerful.

“Customer service is pure emotional labor for eight hours straight.”
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3

The unseen work of managing your own and others' emotions, like comforting, remembering, and smoothing things over.

“Planning every family event is emotional labor and nobody notices it.”
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Emotional Labor In A Sentence

The mental load plus the emotional labor is why I'm exhausted by 9pm.
Remembering everyone's birthdays is emotional labor and I'd like a raise.
He thinks helping is optional, so I carry all the emotional labor.

Origin & Usage

Coined by sociologist Arlie Hochschild in 1983 for paid jobs requiring managed emotions. It broadened online in the 2010s to cover unpaid relationship and household emotional work.

Variants Emotional WorkMental LoadEmotional Labour
Tags #gen-z#american#texting

People Also Ask

What does emotional labor mean?

It's the invisible effort of managing emotions and relationships, like comforting others or keeping the peace, often unthanked.

Who coined emotional labor?

Sociologist Arlie Hochschild introduced it in 1983 to describe jobs that require performing certain emotions.

What does emotional labor mean on TikTok?

It's usually the broadened version: the unpaid, draining work of being everyone's organizer or emotional support.

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