How botox can affect our brain activity

About the episode

What we feel can sometimes be read on our face. There are also theories that you can control emotions by altering these facial expressions and that our own facial muscles also play a role in reading and understanding other people’s emotions.

This is part of the facial feedback hypothesis. If we see an expression of anger or joy on someone else’s face, we will unconsciously use our facial muscles to copy that expression. This then helps the brain understand how another person is feeling. But the use of these facial expressions and the muscle memory that is built with them also plays a role in how we experience these emotions ourselves.

Researchers from the University of Calofornia wanted to see if using Botox on our face could affect this process. They conducted a small study on 10 women between the ages of 33 and 40. These women all received botox injections around the frown.

Before and two weeks after the treatment, the women viewed images of faces showing different emotions, while their brain activity was measured. For example, the researchers found that changes occurred in the region of the brain responsible for processing emotions after Botox treatment.

There are also studies that show it can have positive consequences for people with depression. We don’t yet know exactly how it works. It is clear that there is a connection between the ability to use one’s facial muscles and the processing of emotions. But a lot more research is needed, with larger groups of test subjects, before we know exactly how it all works.

An interesting question by extension: if our children grow up with our face as an example, what effect does the use of botox in parents have on the way they learn to recognize emotions?

Read more about research here: A multi-laboratory test of the facial feedback hypothesis by the Many Smiles collaboration.