A Neurobiological Experiment of a Mindfulness Training Intervention, Designed to Lower Cortisol Levels of Officers Who Perform Emotional Labor

Abstract

This dissertation proposes that a biological framework and biological methods are critical for the advancement of emotional labor research. Traditional views of emotional labor emphasize cognitive management of emotion and inadvertently dismiss the neurobiological roots of emotion. This theoretical gap is critical for understanding emotion regulation. This research project demonstrates that 1) a biological theory is needed and is supported by the results of this quasi-experimental study, 2) clinical measures (biometrics) are needed in emotional labor research, and 3) psychophysiological intervention (mindfulness meditation) provides a mechanism to mediate the adverse effects of emotional labor. Emotional labor is the physical and emotional expression of organizationally required emotions, regardless of the authentic feelings of the worker. Emotion work results in stress, which is then related to burnout. Mounting evidence points to a neurobiological link between the hormonal release of cortisol and stress. This complex hormonal process generates symptoms, like those seen in emotional labor literature that is self-reported as burnout. Participants (n = 56) were placed into either a control or intervention (treatment) group. Survey information about emotional labor, psychological and physiological well-being, and mindfulness were collected at three intervals during a correctional officer training academy. Clinical measures (biometrics) were collected at the same intervals as the survey administration. These measures include body mass index, blood pressure, pulse, and cortisol saliva samples (a hormone associated with stress, detectable in saliva). The research design utilizes a time-series, repeated measure at three different intervals. Participants in the intervention treatment group were exposed to ten weeks of low-dose meditation (5 – 10 minutes a day).Two primary findings emerge from this study. First, cortisol awakening response (CAR) levels were statistically significantly lower (p = 0.02*) for the treatment group versus the control group by the exposure to mindfulness meditation practice. This finding suggests that meditation is a viable and effective treatment to lower CAR. Sequential equation modeling (SEM) results reveal that mindfulness training affects CAR. Exposure to mindfulness meditation lowers CAR for the treatment group, and lower CAR mediates psychological (self-reported) perceptions of burnout. Finally, cortisol is statistically significantly related to surface acting, deep acting, and burnout.