Botox recipients may have a harder time processing negative emotions, according to a new study.
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THE GIST:
- Botox recipients took more time to process angry or sad statements.
- The reactions were tied to a phenomenon called the facial feedback hypothesis, researchers believe.
- Since Botox prevents patients from frowning, their perception of negative emotions may be impaired.
Botox injections administered to reduce frown lines may also delay patients' recognition of anger and sadness around them, according to a study to be published in the journal Psychological Science.
This common cosmetic treatment uses botulinum toxin type A (BTX) -- known as Botox -- to paralyze facial muscles that control frowning and relax the surrounding skin wrinkles.
"Botox induces a kind of mild, temporary cognitive blindness to information in the world, social information about the emotions of other people," said David Havas, lead study author and a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Havas' team evaluated 40 first-time Botox patients before, and then two weeks after, they underwent treatment.
On both occasions, the participants read happy, sad or angry statements, and pushed a button to indicate their comprehension of the text.
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After receiving the Botox injections, it took longer for the frown-impaired participants to process the angry and sad statements. However, the time required to process happy statements did not change.
The study results support the "facial feedback hypothesis," which states that physical expressions, such as grinning or grimacing, signal our brains to produce an emotional responses. In this case, the Botox injections prevented frowning, and so delayed the perception of negative statements.
Murad Alam, an associate professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, has also investigated the Botox-facial feedback relationship and found a link between restricted frown muscles and mood.
"When we are sad, angry or frustrated, but we have Botox on board, our muscles do not contract to create furrows between our brows and deep creases on our foreheads," Alam said. "This lack of frowning and wrinkling works backward to adjust our emotions and make us happier."
But managing emotions by restricting facial muscle movement could have unsavory outcomes as well, Havas noted.
"Because blocking a frown biases processing in favor of positive, versus negative, scenarios, we might miss subtle cues telling us things aren't going well," he said.
For Alam, on the other hand, the potential emotional pros outweigh the cons that Havas highlights, especially considering how brief the comprehension delay is.
"I think it is probably better to feel happier most of the time, even if this means that it occasionally takes a few extra seconds to pick up on others' negative emotions," Alam said.
Botox aside, Havas was more interested in examining how the comprehension of emotional language relies on physical expression, as well as brainpower.
"We all know that language has the power to move us to emotional experience; just read your favorite novel, or listen to a rousing speaker," Havas said. "This research shows how it works: Language moves emotions in part by moving the face."
Cristen Conger is a writer for HowStuffWorks.com.
Tags: Cosmetic Treatments, Emotions, Skin
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