A recent study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that is set to be published in the journal Psychological Science sheds new light on the side effects of botox.
The study examines how our facial expressions affect how we understand things. It proposes the simple idea that if we are smiling we will interpret stimuli in a more positive light, or if we are frowning we may interpret events more negatively. The reaction of our facial muscles helps our brains understand the events that are unfolding and help give it an emotional significance.
In everyday life, we can see this as well. Consider someone that is generally considered to be a “people person”. You may notice that they react with similar expressions that mimic the emotion that you are trying to convey while talking to them. This expression of the emotional content of the message is in fact helping them to better understand you and the message you are trying to convey. It helps them understand you and also helps you to understand how they are digesting your story.
Because Botox blocks certain facial nervous impulses and paralyzes certain facial muscles, researchers found that women that had received botox treatments had more difficulty in understanding emtional language.
The full story is available here.