A recent Globe and Mail article spotlights Botox as being a remedy for the blues. The article reads, “if recent studies suggesting the face-freezing toxin can alleviate sadness prove solid, indulging in a few shots may finally get more respect as a bona fide mental health booster”.

Since Botox was introduced for cosmetic use, almost 15 years ago, clinicians began to notice that patients who had the treatment seemed to feel better about themselves. The question has always been why does Botox make people feel happier? Scientific research demonstrate that this is due to an effect called “facial feedback”, suggesting that people tend to feel the way they perceive themselves as appearing to the outside world. People who look happier, feel happier and vice versa.

MRI exams of patients who had Botox infections showed a reduction in the signal to the part of the brain that reacts to angry or sad stimuli, explaining Botox users’ happier state of mind. While Botox does not itself travel to the brain, an injection into the isolated frown muscles induces a positive change in neural signaling, eliciting a feeling of happiness. Adding to this improvement in mood is the fact that when we cannot frown or appear angry, other people react more positively toward us.

In short, it’s a two-way street to better feelings all around!

Click on the article below to read the Globe and Mail article; “Feeling Depressed? Get thee to a Botox Bar”