When we communicate with others, much of our message is conveyed through nonverbal means: our tone of voice, body movements, and, of course, facial expressions. Often, this information is processed below the level of conscious awareness, but it plays a vital role in understanding our interlocutor’s messages and adapting our responses accordingly.
Beyond words, it’s gestures and posture – everything unspoken but implied – that allow us to know if a person is depressed, happy, or furious. And sometimes, a simple glance at their face is enough. However, cosmetic surgery can backfire.
Cosmetic surgery changes the perception of emotions
Researchers at Yale University tell us that, of all the facial muscles that are innervated to transmit an emotion, the most important are those surrounding the eyes and eyebrows.
To conduct their research, they showed a group of 20 people a total of 16 digitally altered photos of the same face. In other words, 16 different facial versions of the same person. The main differences lay in the position of the eyebrows, wrinkles, and lip size.
After viewing the photographs, participants had to assign each photo a score from 1 to 5 on the following emotions: presence of tiredness, joy, surprise, anger, sadness, disgust, and fear.
The results were surprising: many of the photographs that simulated cosmetic surgery (eyelid surgery or facelifts) generated the interpretation of being tired or angry faces.
More natural = happier
A simulation of a woman’s face with eyelid surgery, in which fat and skin were reduced in the upper eyelid, gave participants the impression that the person was tired and sad. Interestingly, this impression was stronger than that produced by the same version with droopy eyelids (a quintessential sign of tiredness).
On the other hand, the photos in which the woman appeared with an eyebrow lift (caused by surgery) made the participants interpret her face as an expression of surprise or fear.
In contrast, “crow’s feet” or wrinkles that form around the eyes gave participants the impression of a happy face.
Many people today opt for eyelid surgery, eyebrow lifts, or facelifts with the goal of looking younger and more attractive, but this study reveals that they don’t always succeed.
In fact, not only is the goal of looking more beautiful not always achieved, but spontaneity and facial uniqueness are also lost, resulting in static expressions that are incongruent with what we want to express. And everything seems to indicate that it’s not just the image that is projected, but that Botox affects emotions internally.
Finally, it’s important to clarify that these findings don’t encourage demonizing cosmetic surgery, but rather using it judiciously. When a certain threshold is crossed, the face can begin to convey tension, coldness, or negative emotions that don’t reflect how we truly feel. Hence the importance of not being swayed by the idea that “one more touch-up” always adds up. In aesthetics, as in so many other areas, knowing when to stop is also crucial.
Source:
Knoll, B. I.; Attkiss, K.J. & Persing, J. A. (2008) The Influence of Forehead, Brow, and Periorbital Aesthetics on Perceived Expression in the Youthful Face. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; 121(5): 1793-1802.
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