A substantial body of previous research has posited that workers who exhibit anger are often perceived as competent and enjoy elevated status, which ostensibly leads to greater power and financial benefits. However, a recent collaborative study between researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) and Princeton University challenges this widely held belief.

Published in the journal Frontiers in Social Psychology, the study employed methodologies similar to those used in earlier research to reevaluate the assertions surrounding workplace anger expression. The research comprised four preregistered and rigorously conducted studies, which revisited existing paradigms to explore whether demonstrating anger could enhance an employee’s status. The researchers specifically questioned whether expressing anger boosts status, if anger is seen as a marker of competence, and, fundamentally, whether anger is generally favoured in professional settings.

Dr. Roni Porat from Hebrew University spearheaded the study. Elizabeth Levy Paluck from Princeton University shared their findings: “Our research indicates that expressing anger does not facilitate a rise in status within the workplace.” Dr. Porat added that anger is often viewed less favourably than other emotional expressions, such as sadness. It was noted that anger might only be seen positively when it is a response to blatant misconduct by others. These insights were consistent across both genders, expressing anger in the workplace.

The study revealed that despite common assumptions that anger correlates with higher status, such expressions do not typically result in enhanced status as they are considered inappropriate, detached, excessive, and counterproductive to workplace objectives. Furthermore, the study highlighted prevalent negative perceptions of anger in professional environments, describing such expressions as more harmful, misguided, and ineffectual than other emotional displays.

The researchers conducted experiments manipulating the emotion expressed (anger, sadness, or a neutral/muted emotion) and measured the status conferral. This included how much respect, power, independence, and compensation participants believed the emotionally expressive worker deserved within the organisation.

To delve deeper into these phenomena, the study also varied the gender of the employee displaying the emotion, the target of the emotional outburst (another person or the situation), and the context in which the emotion was expressed (such as during a job interview or a regular workday). “We wanted to see if our findings were consistent across different genders, given that previous research has shown that women might be penalised for displaying anger while men might be rewarded,” explained Dr Porat. Surprisingly, the study found no significant difference in how anger expressed by women was perceived compared to anger expressed by men.

Despite certain limitations, these findings offer a robust counterpoint to the prevailing notion that anger is a beneficial and strategic emotion in the workplace. The research underscores a scenario where expressing anger does not advance an individual’s status, irrespective of gender. This starkly contrasts the more commonly discussed and publicised positive implications of anger in academic and public discourse. The study suggests that in the workplace context, the outcomes of expressing anger might not be as advantageous as previously thought.

More information: Roni Porat et al, Anger at work, Frontiers in Social Psychology. DOI: 10.3389/frsps.2024.1337715

Journal information: Frontiers in Social Psychology Provided by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem