Trivia
HardWhich Of These Cosmetic Procedures Is Linked To A Decrease In Empathy?
Answer: Botox Injections
It’s a rather curious idea, that getting cosmetic surgery could decrease your empathy towards other people, but it occurs and in a way you may not have even thought of. While at first glance, you might have worked through the question in an abstract way like, “Well, someone who has a lot of cosmetic surgery might be more self centered than your average person, so perhaps the more cosmetic surgery they have, the less empathetic they become…” but it works on a far more primal level than that.
Researchers investigating the role of facial expressions (and the underlying muscles) in both the expression of emotions and the reception of emotions processed by other people, were curious what effect Botox injections have on the process. Botox works by paralyzing small muscles in your face and, in turn, the paralyzed muscles no longer contract and wrinkle your skin. The researchers exposed the subjects to emotionally charged videos before and after they were given Botox injections, all while monitoring the subjects emotional response. The control group was also given injections, but of a simple sub-dermal filler (Restylane) that has no effect on the muscles.
The subjects whose facial muscles were paralyzed responded less strongly to the clips than the control group (whose faces were not paralyzed). The hypothesis is that our brain uses our own face as a cue for emotional reactions and empathy, and that if we can’t frown and cry when we see sadness or smile when we see something happy, we do not experience that emotional state as strongly.
Trivia
HardIf You Are A Quatorzième, You Are A What?
Trivia
HardUndersea Communication Cables Are Buried To Protect Them From?
Trivia
HardThe Term “Cliffhanger”, To Refer To A Suspenseful But Unresolved Ending Originated With?
Trivia
HardWhat Electronic Device Needs To Be Factory-Calibrated To The Earth’s Magnetosphere?
Trivia
HardAround The World, It Is Traditional To Include What When Giving A Knife As A Gift?
Trivia
EasyWhich Country Has The Most Vending Machines Per Capita?
Trivia
HardWhat Game Limited Pirated Copies To Firing Only Chickens From In-Game Guns?
Trivia
HardWhich Soda Company Briefly Owned A Sizable Naval Fleet?
Trivia
HardAlfred Nobel Established the Nobel Prize After What?