Ashamed to be angry: A daily diary study on how meta-emotions shape workplace interpersonal strain

This study examines whether meta-emotions—emotions about one’s own emotions—shape the association between anger and interpersonal strain at work, focusing on meta-shame as a second-order affective response. We conducted a multilevel daily diary study among 42 healthcare professionals working in a child psychiatry unit (69% women; 43% aged 35–40; 54% < 2 years tenure; 51% nurses). Participants completed a baseline survey and, three months later, five end-of-shift assessments, yielding 210 observations. Two-level models were estimated in Mplus 8.1 using robust maximum likelihood, separating within-person daily effects from between-person differences through appropriate predictor centering, and testing the anger × meta-shame interaction at both levels. Anger was positively associated with interpersonal strain at both the within- and between-person levels. Meta-shame did not amplify the association between feeling angrier during the day and interpersonal strain; however, across individuals, those who generally reported more anger also reported greater interpersonal strain, particularly when meta-shame was higher. These findings extend emotional labor research beyond enacted regulation strategies by showing that employees’ affective responses to their own emotions may shape the interpersonal consequences of anger at the between-person level. They also highlight the potential value of interventions targeting in-role emotional awareness and regulation to prevent interpersonal strain.