Botox reduces empathy

person

No, Botox injections don’t zap brain cells. (At least not so far as we know.) According to a new study by David T. Neal, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Southern California, and Tanya L. Chartrand, a professor of marketing and psychology at the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, people who have had Botox injections are physically unable to mimic emotions of others. This failure to mirror the faces of those they are watching or talking to robs them of the ability to understand what people are feeling, the study says.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/19/fashion/botox-reduces-the-ability-to-empathize-study-says.html?_r=0

Jeffrey

Reminds me of William James a philosopher: I took a course in college. He said that smiling causes happiness. Pragmatist philosophy.

riverflow

Yes, I have experienced this, and practice it every day! (no, not botox--smiling! haha) I do believe that happiness can be "reverse engineered," so to speak.

betaboy

Botox ... reducing empathy and wrinkles since 1980.

charirama

Now people will have to decide which is more important.

lobster

Dharma=inner beauty
Botox=inner and outer monstrosity

Just shine.

how

Imagine handicapping your ability to communicate through your facial expressions in order to present a mask to others of who you are not.
The study results are skewed by choosing folks who's decisions to take botox already show a low priority in empathizing with others.

Citta

I can't say I am surprised.
I was in Venice recently and the number of ( mostly ) women with identikit frozen faces with all trace of individuality removed was truly tragic.