Facial muscles are required to smile

Some sayings have been with us so long that their origins are now wholly forgotten. This popular aphorism about a greater number of facial muscles being needed to produce a frown than are required to generate a smile is one such snippet of homespun wisdom; it has been a part of our cultural landscape for so long that no one now knows where it began:. Yet, as widespread as this saying is, the figures touted therein about the number of muscles required to form both expressions change from telling to telling, seemingly at will. Here is a quick sampling of some of ways this saying has been framed, as gleaned from a variety of news articles on any number of topics, including sports, music, and health:.

You've likely been told or read in a forwarded e-mail that it takes fewer muscles to smile than it does to frown, and that, in light of this fact, you should smile more often. There are quite a few numbers that get tossed around when this line is used. Some claim it takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but open Aunt Milda's chain letter and you might be surprised to learn it takes 26 to smile and 62 to frown. And some naysayers claim it's quite the opposite, that in fact it takes more muscles to smile than to frown.

Conceived and designed the experiments: S. Korb SW. Performed the experiments: S.

Facial attractiveness plays a key role in social interaction. When a patient visits the dental clinic for aesthetic reasons, the dentist considers not only the chief complaint but also the overall harmony of the face. This article describes muscle retraining exercises to achieve control over facial movements and improve facial appearance which may be considered following any type of dental rehabilitation.