Emotional Labour and Burnout: A Systematic Literature Review

Emotional labour, self-regulation of emotional displays to conform to work demands, is now an essential aspect of service careers. As work organisations increasingly expect emotional commitment from workers, the psychological costs, most notably burnout, have been a subject of interest among scholars. This systematic review of literature compiled between 2020 and 2025 synthesises studies to assess the interconnection between emotional labour and burnout in various occupational fields. With Scopus, 420 peer-reviewed articles were identified based on the PRISMA guidelines. The findings show that surface acting has a high correlation with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, whereas deep acting is related to more healthy outcomes but potentially still makes long-term psychological demands. The review also discusses contextual moderators including organizational support, emotional intelligence, autonomy of the job, and cultural expectations. Sectoral differences within healthcare, education, hospitality, and customer service highlight the complex effects of emotional labour. The results identify key intervention points, ranging from training in emotional regulation to policy change within organizations, with the objective of safeguarding worker well-being. The research adds to theoretical and practical knowledge and suggests avenues for future investigation into emotional labour and occupational health.