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The Kind Of Love That Makes Work Better: Companionate Relationships Boost Professional Performance

WATCH: The Kind Of Love That Makes Employees Better
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Dating in the workplace is often a slippery slope, but there is a kind of love that's actually helpful in the office.

Completely different from romantic love is companionate love, which involves "feelings of affection, caring, tenderness and compassion for the people who are around you," according to Sigal Barsade, a management professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Barsade talked with HuffPost Live's Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani about her research on companionate love, which is one of the emotions felt most frequently by humans, and its place in a professional setting.

"People are spending so much time at work and so much of their lives at work. Wouldn't it make sense that we don't just come to work and forget that we're people and have emotions? Wouldn't it make sense that if [companionate love] mattered so much outside of work, it could matter inside as well?" she said.

It turns out it does matter. As Barsade's study found, "companionate love positively relates to employee satisfaction and teamwork and negatively relates to employee absenteeism and emotional exhaustion."

See the full conversation about companionate love in the workplace from HuffPost Live below.

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Before You Go

Health Benefits Of Friendship
Friends Get You Moving(01 of05)
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Research presented in 2012 found that something you might expect more from your mother -- nagging -- can actually work when it's coming from a pal who's pushing you to move more. In fact, the least active interviewees in this particular survey said they needed and even appreciated a nudge now and then from friends.And working out with a friend has the added benefit of keeping you committed to your workout plan. There's no rolling over to hit the snooze button on that a.m. run if someone is waiting for you to show up!Flickr photo by geishaboy500 (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="17" data-vars-position-in-unit="20">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/geishaboy500/" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" geishaboy500" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/geishaboy500/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="18" data-vars-position-in-unit="21"> geishaboy500</a>)
Friends Keep You Relaxed(02 of05)
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There's some truth behind friendship clichés like "a shoulder to cry on." In the face of great stress, talking with and leaning on friends really can help you get through troublesome times. A 2011 study found that among students, friendships helped reduce some of the stress of being bullied or excluded at school.Women in particular may be predisposed to the calming benefits of friendship. Researchers found that females release the hormone oxytocin when stressed, which encourages "tend and befriend" behavior, rather than the "fight or flight" reaction often observed in men, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. This encourages women to chat with their friends when stressed, and the chatting itself spurs the release of more oxytocin, which can have a calming effect.Flickr photo by epSos.de (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="13" data-vars-position-in-unit="16">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/epsos/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" epSos.de" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/epsos/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="14" data-vars-position-in-unit="17"> epSos.de</a>)
Friends Help You Live Longer(03 of05)
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It's not quite as simple as connecting with friends and, poof, you're guaranteed to live to 100. But there is a significant body of research linking strong social ties to a longer lifespan. Australian research found that older adults with more friends were 22 percent less likely to die during a 10-year study than their peers with fewer friends. And in a recent analysis of 148 studies, researchers found that people with stronger relationships had a 50 percent greater chance of survival. Flickr photo by egor.gribanov (credit:Flickr:egor.gribanov)
Friends Boost Cancer Survival Rates(04 of05)
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While friendships may help you live longer in any situation, social ties have also been linked specifically to overcoming cancer.A small 2005 study observed 61 women with advanced ovarian cancer. Higher levels of interleukin 6, a protein marker for a more aggressive form of the disease, were found in the women with the weakest social bonds. An older study followed 86 women with metastatic breast cancer for a year and found that the women who participated in a weekly support group lived twice as long. (credit:Alamy)
Friends Lower Heart Disease Risk(05 of05)
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Perhaps because of their relaxation powers, friends are also good for the heart. A 2005 analysis of social support theories found that weak social ties could double heart disease risk. The link between social support and a healthy heart is even stronger for men who make one very special social tie official. Married men seem to experience a particular boost in heart health, WebMD reported. Stronger social ties in general seem to lower blood pressure, which helps the heart.Flickr photo by Brent Gambrell (credit:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name="Flickr:" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="3" data-vars-position-in-unit="6">Flickr:</a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/brentgambrell/" target="_blank" role="link" class=" js-entry-link cet-external-link" data-vars-item-name=" Brent Gambrell" data-vars-item-type="text" data-vars-unit-name="60fe85f8e4b06971f4098662" data-vars-unit-type="buzz_body" data-vars-target-content-id="http://www.flickr.com/people/brentgambrell/" data-vars-target-content-type="url" data-vars-type="web_external_link" data-vars-subunit-name="before_you_go_slideshow" data-vars-subunit-type="component" data-vars-position-in-subunit="4" data-vars-position-in-unit="7"> Brent Gambrell</a>)
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