Botox slows understanding of negative emotions
Botox treatment not only means people struggle to express emotion in their face - but they also have problems understanding it in other people.A study from the University of Wisconsin suggests that people who've had Botox are slower and less able to 'read' emotions than others.
Experts think this could have something to do with them not being able to make 'angry' or 'sad' faces themselves.
Prof David Havas claims this means people like Amanda Holden would be less likely to recognise people around her who were sad or angry.
We were going to make some snide comment about people around Amanda Holden always being sad and angry… but it seemed too easy.
In his test Prof David Havas got 40 people to read sentences relating to emotion before and after injecting them with botulinum toxin. There were then asked to press a button once they had understood it.
It turned out that it took people the same time to understand happy emotions irrespective of botox treatment, but they were always slower with the negative ones.
"There is a long-standing idea in psychology, called the facial feedback hypothesis," says Havas.
"Essentially, it says, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. It's an old song, but it's right.
"Actually, this study suggests the opposite: When you're not frowning, the world seems less angry and less sad."
LINKS
University of Wisconsin
It turned out that it took people the same time to understand happy emotions irrespective of botox treatment, but they were always slower with the negative ones.
"There is a long-standing idea in psychology, called the facial feedback hypothesis," says Havas.
"Essentially, it says, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. It's an old song, but it's right.
"Actually, this study suggests the opposite: When you're not frowning, the world seems less angry and less sad."
LINKS
University of Wisconsin
