The Authenticity of Positive Emotional Displays: Client Responses to Leisure Service Employees

Abstract

This field study examined leisure employees' emotional expression, and its effects on clients' satisfaction with group fitness classes. Participants were 132 clients of five fitness instructors at a fitness club. Client perceptions of their instructor were compared over two conditions—classes in which the instructors reported that they often deep acted (tried to create appropriate emotional expression), and classes in which the instructors' emotional expression was naturally felt. Clients were able to detect whether the instructor's enthusiasm for the class was genuine, and these perceptions were related to the clients' positive affect, satisfaction with the instructor and attitudinal loyalty to the instructor. The implications of the findings are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Emotional expression
• group fitness
• client satisfaction
• client loyalty