Intensity   People give different responses to identical emotion-provoking stim-
uli. In some cases this can be attributed to the individual's personality. Other
times it is a result of the job requirements.
      People vary in their inherent ability to express intensity. You undoubtedly
know individuals who almost never show their feelings. They rarely get angry.
They never show rage. In contrast, you probably also know people who seem to be
on an emotional roller coaster. When they're happy, their ecstatic. When they're
sad, they're deeply depressed. And two people can be in the exact same situation-
with one showing excitement and joy, while the other is calm and collected.
      Jobs make different intensity demands in terms of emotional labor. For in-
stance, air traffic controllers and trial judges are expected to be calm and con-
trolled, even in stressful situations. Conversely, the effectiveness of television
evangelists, public-address announcers at sporting events, and lawyers can depend
on their ability to alter their displayed emotional intensity as the need arises.

Frequency and Duration   How often does an emotion need to be exhibited?
And for how long?
      Sean Wolfson is basically a quiet and reserved person. He loves his job as a
financial planner. He doesn't enjoy, however, having to give occasional speeches
in order to increase his visibility and to promote his programs. "If I had to speak
to large audiences every day, I'd quit this business," he says. "I think this works
for me because I can fake excitement and enthusiasm for an hour, a couple of
times a month."
      Emotional labor that requires high frequency or long durations is more de-
manding and requires more exertion by employees. So whether an employee can
successfully meet the emotional demands of a given job depends not only on
which emotions need to be displayed and their intensity, but also how fre-
quently and for how long the effort has to be made.

CAN PEOPLE BE EMOTIONLESS?

Are people who seem outwardly calm or apathetic in situations, in which others
are clearly emotionally charged, without feeling? Can people be emotionless?