Most people say that they want to be happy at their jobs. I feel the same way. But you know what I’ve been thinking about lately? I kind of like the fact that freelancing from home allows me to be grumpy when I feel like being grumpy. I don’t ever have to put on a happy face just because I’m at the office. Now, I’m naturally not a very grumpy person but it’s nice to be able to just feel however I really feel when I’m working. Not all people are so lucky.

In fact, there are a lot of people who not only have to be polite and professional at their jobs regardless of how they feel but who actually have to outright pretend to be happy even when they are not happy at all. For example, if you were going to work as a professional clown then you would need to make sure that you put on a happy face at work even if you were having a terrible day. What kind of party would it be if the clown was all pissed off? This goes for other types of entertainment as well; someone cast in a musical can’t be very grumpy on stage and still present a good show.

I’m trying to think of some other jobs out there where you truly need to pretend to be happy even when you’re not. There are many that come to mind in which people should act happy for the sake of others but often don’t. People who work in daycares and hospitals are good examples. It would be nice if they’d act happy and make it easier on kids and patients but they don’t actually have to in order to make a living so they don’t.

Are there other jobs out there where the employee really needs to act happy to make the job work?

Tags: career, employment, happiness, hubpages, jobs, kathryn vercillo