Friday, June 17, 2022

Facial expressions: Can they be permanent?

Things in life are often taken for granted; especially when it comes to your senses. After reading the text, I found myself taking my five perfectly in tact senses for granted. Being able to read someone's facial expression and body language is crucial to social engagements in society; even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks have made it more difficult to read facial expressions, so reading body language became more precedent. 

Smiles are contagious. Happiness is contagious. They also, however, can be chronic. I remember growing up, whenever I was upset my parents would tell me that if I frowned for too long that my face would permanently stay in a frown. I thought this claim had no truth behind it until reading the text. Chronic facial expressions are often referred to as "expressive habits", and can influence the overall structure of your face as you age. 

I was very interested in this part of the book, so I did some more research. This article debunks the parental caution of your-face-staying-like-that. The term is called Strabismus, and is known more commonly as a lazy eye or wandering eye. This is not something that can happen over time, but is something that someone is born with, and is completely normal!

Link to article:

http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/10/05/if-you-cross-your-eyes-or-scrunch-your-face-will-they-stay-like-that-forever.htm#:~:text=According%20to%20Dr.,will%20not%20stay%20that%20way.


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