Empathy & Botox: Or How To Effectively Stop Caring

It is hard to be apathetic to human suffering... But it's possible.
~Nils-Fredrik Nielsen, Samlede Tristesser.

Facial feedback hypothesis assumes that reading emotions from peoples' facial expression is helped by displaying the corresponding expression yourself. For example, when I pout my lips and look like the end of the world is nigh (my usual composure) it will help me recognize that emotion in someone else. Also, holding my face in a certain emotional pose will influence how I interprete what I see, hear or feel.

A nice & famous example is that people find cartoons funnier if they read them while keeping a pen horizaontally between their teeth (it's like smiling, don't try it), and less funny if they hold the pen in their mouths with their lips (like pouting).

Now, many scientists believe that this is a very important part of understanding others emotions in general (some Italians attribute this to "Mirror Neurons"). If we were unable to replicate another's facial expressions directly, it will hinder understanding their emotional state.

This brings us to our topic. A study in Cerebral Cortex shows that people with botox injections show less spontaneous imitation of facial emotions in pictures. But there is more; in a brain scan (and we know only real scientists use brainscanners) botoxers showed less amygdala (often assumed to play a role in processing negative information) activation in response to sad faces. The authors suggest this could make them less skilled in understanding what they see.

It's strange, however, that they did not have participants rate the facial expression they saw on emotion type and intensity. This could have demonstrated if botoxers really had problems understanding the expressions. Nonetheless it is an interesting finding, suggesting a positive effect of botox in removing yourself emotionally from other people.

And forget about creating an army of soldiers without an amygdala, incapable of feeling fear. Just botox the 'em. Not only will they be ruthless, have no empathy or fear. They will be pretty also.

Useful materials:
-Botox (or some houshold silicone)
-Dermatologist, plastic surgeon or helpful friend
-Needles
-Bandages
-Medical maltreatment insurance

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Side note: In my search for botox related information I stumbled upon a journal with the uplifting name "Headache". Something tells me you will be hearing more from this one on Science of Sadness.
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Lnk:Facial Feedback Hypothesis, Wiki
Lnk: Pens, Smiles & Cartoons, JPSP, 1988
Lnk: "Mirror Neurons"
Lnk: Article in Cerebral Cortex
Lnk: "Headache"