Blocking a frown prevents bad feelings?
The study could have implications for cosmetic surgery
Research being presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Las Vegas has highlighted that Botox could affect the way people understand written language relating to various emotions.
In order to investigate this link, David Havas of the University of Wisconsin asked a number of people undergoing Botox treatments to read written angry, sad and happy statements before the procedure and then again two weeks afterwards.
How long the subjects took to understand each sentence was measured by how quickly they pressed a button to indicate they had finished reading.
It was noted that having Botox did not affect the time taken to read and understand the happy sentence, however it did take longer to read the sad and angry sentences after the treatment.
"There is a long-standing idea in psychology, called the facial feedback hypothesis," commented 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."
Havas' advisor UW-Madison professor emeritus of psychology Arthur Glenberg described the study as ground-breaking, adding that it may have profound implications for cosmetic surgery.
The Society for Personality and Social Psychology was founded in 1974 and now boasts over 4,500 members.
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