Table 5.

Themes identified and judges’ examples for how emotions affect work.

Own emotions affect judges’ own well-being	Own emotions affect judges’ ability to remain impartial	Own emotions affect judges’ productivity	Emotions affect courtroom proceedings
It is exhausting to control emotions	My mood might affect my rulings, courtroom demeanor	Typically it impedes productivity, at least negative emotions	Emotion expressed by litigants makes it difficult to judge credibility
Could cause burnout/fatigue Can be wearing	Affects mood, which affects proceedings Could affect ability to look at evidence dispassionately	If a negative emotion, affect productivity; if positive, better workflow	I spend a lot of time moderating or controlling the emotion of the parties
Good days make you feel good	It can cloud judgement	Positive emotions lead to more productivity	During a hearing will get irritated and hard to resist impulse to show anger, or irritation. . . . Hard not to demonstrate boredom
It impacts your ability to filter the stress/ exhaustion	Affects ability to make judgments	Sometimes my anger makes me work harder, as I have to use a lot of energy to address the source of my anger in a constructive way Difficulty writing Can make one work harder
Undermines self-esteem	Essential to allow for it. Cannot make humane decisions in a sterile emotional vacuum		Less tolerance for parties Can be distracting but also part of the human experience, so it makes the work real Emotions can interfere with the smooth running of the hearing by becoming another factor in the case

Note: Two questions were asked related to emotion regulation at work: (a) ‘How does emotion affect your work?’ and (b) ‘What ‘solutions’ or interventions would YOU recommend?’.