Emotional Labor and Stress Resilience: Construal Level Theory Approach

Abstract

The effectiveness of stress coping methods through various learning and training programs is reported to be weak or none. This research proposes a new method for coping with stress at work. Founded on construal level theory, a visual stimulus promoting abstract thinking was designed, and its effectiveness was tested in both lab and field. The visual stimulus was installed in forty-five (45) individual cubicles of a tourism company’s call center in Korea to observe its effectiveness. The results showed that the visual stimulus promotes abstract thinking, reducing stress levels. Furthermore, the bootstrapping analysis confirms that the positive emotion fully mediates the influence of construal level on the perceived stress level.