WISE INTERVENTIONS

Hairdressers learned about emotion-regulation techniques including “(a) reappraising difficult situations by considering that offensive client behavior is not meant as personal assault, but rather reflects the customer’s personal problems (reappraisal); (b) reappraising difficult situations by considering them a personal challenge and opportunity for growth (reappraisal); (c) putting themselves in the client’s shoes (perspective taking). To train attentional deployment, participants were encouraged to (d) trigger positive emotions by thinking of positive and enjoyable past or future events.” They then wrote down, on each of four consecutive mornings, how they could use these techniques in a “typical difficult situation with a customer” at work and, on each of 10 consecutive evenings, how they had done so, what was effective and how they could improve their use of the strategy. As compared to those in a control condition, hairdressers in the treatment condition earned higher tips over the 10 days.