Botox Impairs Emotion Recognition | metropolises

Botox injections in the face can alter the way people interpret other individuals’ emotions, according to research by scientists at the University of California, USA. The study, released in NewScientist magazine, shows that the procedure can modify the brain activity linked to the recognition of feelings.

The application of botulinum toxin is one of the most popular procedures among people who want a younger face. The compound is usually applied to points on the forehead, around the eyes and around the mouth, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles.

By having a more “stretched” face, some people end up having the ability to show emotions with reduced facial expressions. The new study shows that the substance can also interfere with brain activity linked to the recognition of feelings.

It is natural for human beings to unconsciously try to imitate other people’s emotions, sending signals to the areas of the brain that interpret feelings, in a process that helps us to recognize them.

The scientists of University of California and researchers at AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Botox, performed brain scans on 10 women before they received Botox injections in the forehead and repeated the tests after the two- to three-week break.

female doctor applying botox on female patient

Botulinum toxin A (TB A) has been approved for over 20 years for the treatment of wrinkles and excessive sweatingPexels

female doctor applying botox to patient

The “preventive toxin” became popular and demystified the technique as a mere “Cinderella” effectPexels

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Dermatologist doing botox treatment on patient at aesthetic clinic

Men look for less impactful results per session and prefer more discreet and gradual effectsGetty Images

Doctor Giving Botox Injection

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Participants were asked to try to recognize feelings of anger and happiness in pictures of faces presented during brain scans. An alteration in the activity of some brain areas related to visual processing, emotions and face recognition – such as the amygdala and the fusiform gyrus – was observed after the application of the substance.

The researchers suggest that when individuals are deprived of expressing themselves – smiling or frowning, for example – this also makes it difficult for them to read and understand each other.

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