8216;Being yourself at work not good for your career8217;

While revealing your true character to friends is likely to make you happier,doing so at the office is not a recipe for promotion,they said.

Lead study researcher Dr Oliver Robinson said: 8220;You hear self-help gurus say that the secret of happiness is 8216;being yourself8217; or 8216;expressing your true feelings8217;,but that doesn8217;t seem to apply in the workplace.8221;

8220;So in some circumstances,it may be that a polite smile or tactfully keeping quiet may be more conducive to your well-being than saying what you actually think and feel to work colleagues,8221; Dr Robinson was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

In the study,the team assessed the levels of 8220;authentic self expression8221; in more than 500 volunteers to see how far they opened up to people they interacted with socially.

The results showed that participants were more likely to 8220;be themselves8221; with partners,followed by friends and then parents. However,they were much less likely to show their true self to work colleagues.

Those who opened up to their partners tended to have greater well-being and were more satisfied with life. But the same benefits were not seen from being authentic at work.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the British Psychological Society in London.