Social psychologists have long known that one way we "read" each others' emotions is by mimicking facial expressions. If your friend is angry at her boyfriend, as she tells you of his many transgressions, your brow will - subtly or outrightly - furrow and your jaw will clench as if mirroring your friend's ticked off mien. The muscle movements in your face will, in turn, signal to your brain that you are pissed off, putting you and your friend on the same emotional wavelength.
That is the essence of empathy.
So what happens if your muscles have a hard time moving?
Researchers recently looked at women with botox, the anti-wrinkle therapy that paralyzes your facial muscles, to see if they had a harder time sensing what others were feeling. Showing a group of botoxed women photos of people in varying emotional states, the wrinkle-free ladies were less able to detect the emotions in the photos than were a comparable group of un-botoxed women.
How much botox depletes our empathy is unclear. Presumably it hasn't affected Nicole Kidman's ability to act too measurably. But the study is a good reminder that the mind and body are closely intertwined - and if we're going to mess with one, we have to be aware of the consequences of the other.
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