"‘Fake it ’til you make it’ is psychologically damaging"

"The fact that inauthentic behavior threatens our sense of morality may shed light on certain aspects of the modern workplace. Take employee engagement, for example. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, only 13 percent of employees worldwide are engaged at work. And for those who eventually leave their jobs, frustration, burnout, disillusionment, and misalignment with personal values are often cited.

Kouchaki believes this employee disengagement might be caused in part by moral distress. “Behavior that alienates people from themselves will always have an effect,” she says.

Hotel staff, for instance, might wield tight-lipped smiles and impeccable manners during exchanges with even the most disagreeable travelers. Kouchaki calls this “surface acting”—common behavior for those whose jobs depend on politeness and constant restraint. “This type of emotional labor has consequences,” she says...

“I would say that staying true to yourself matters, even if it is difficult, because we notice that there is a cost involved in straying too far from your personal values.”"
http://qz.com/588172/fake-it-til-you-make-it-actually-just-makes-you-feel-immoral/

I don't know how much any of this actually follows from the research, so it isn't "proven" but it feels very likely. And people who are in the minority, especially people like women who are socialized to fake positivity and engaged in emotional labor, are going to be particularly impacted by these workplace dynamics.