Mental Health

Negativity At Work Can Be Good, Study

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Aug 22, 2014 03:17 AM EDT

Hate work? According to science, it's a good thing.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool found that feeling bad at work can actually be a good thing and feeling good at work can be a bad thing.

Contrary to popular belief, positive in the workplace don't always lead to positive outcomes, and negative emotions don't trigger negative outcomes.

Researchers noted that this is because work contexts significantly influence outcomes. For example, anger will not always lead to negative outcome. In fact, anger could be used as a force against injustices.

For instance, employees who express anger when they witness their fellow workers being treated unfairly can help prevent unjust acts from repeating themselves.

On the other hand, being too positive in the office can lead to complacency and superficiality.

"The findings of the studies published in this Special Issue challenge the widely held assumption that in the workplace positive emotions generate or engender a positive outcome, and vice versa, Dr. Dirk Lindebaum from the University of Liverpool Management School said in a news release.

The findings are published in the journal Human Relations.

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