The Managed Heart by Arlie Russell Hochschild Summary

The Managed Heart explores the concept of emotional labor—the effort to manage feelings to meet workplace demands. Hochschild examines how industries like airlines and debt collection commodify emotions, requiring workers to suppress authentic feelings. The book critiques the psychological toll of this practice, blending sociology and psychology to reveal systemic impacts on gender roles and worker well-being.

This book is essential for sociologists, HR professionals, and students of gender studies or workplace dynamics. It appeals to readers interested in how emotions are exploited in service industries, offering insights into labor rights, mental health, and the intersection of personal identity and professional performance.

Yes—it’s a seminal work in sociology that coined the term “emotional labor,” influencing fields from psychology to labor studies. Hochschild’s groundbreaking research on Delta flight attendants and bill collectors remains critical for understanding modern workplace expectations, making it a must-read for analyzing systemic inequities.

Emotional labor refers to managed feelings sold for wages, such as a flight attendant’s forced cheerfulness or a bill collector’s strategic anger. Hochschild argues this labor creates dissonance between genuine emotions and performative roles, leading to burnout and alienation.

Hochschild studied Delta flight attendants (trained to project warmth) and bill collectors (encouraged to feign aggression). Her fieldwork revealed how corporations script emotional performances, prioritizing profit over workers’ psychological health. These case studies underscore systemic gender and class biases.

The book highlights how emotional labor disproportionately falls on women, perpetuating stereotypes of female caregivers. Hochschild ties this to unpaid domestic work (e.g., The Second Shift), arguing that gendered expectations in professions like nursing or teaching reinforce societal inequities.

• “Emotional labor requires one to induce or suppress feeling…”
• “The commercialization of human feeling distorts the very essence of selfhood.”

These lines critique the erosion of authenticity in profit-driven roles.

The book’s insights resonate in gig economy jobs (e.g., Uber drivers rated on friendliness) and remote work, where digital communication demands curated emotional performances. Hochschild’s framework helps analyze burnout in customer service and tech sectors.

Some scholars argue Hochschild overlooks intersectionality, focusing narrowly on gender without fully addressing how race, class, or LGBTQ+ identities shape emotional labor. Others note her 1980s data may underestimate today’s gig economy complexities.

While Strangers in Their Own Land examines political alienation, The Managed Heart focuses on privatized emotional struggles. Both tie personal experiences to systemic issues, but this book’s workplace lens offers a unique critique of capitalism.

She likens emotional labor to “acting on a stage”, where workers perform scripts written by employers. This metaphor underscores the dissonance between authentic self and professional persona.

As AI and remote work redefine human interaction, the book’s warnings about emotionally exploitative systems gain urgency. It provides a framework to advocate for policies protecting mental health in increasingly digital, service-oriented economies.