In a recent Hyperfocus Bonus (episode 139: Can’t Get Enough of Your Emotional Cues, Babe), Esme shared a surprising discovery she made after noticing some fine lines on her forehead (which, it is critical to note, are totally normal and not that noticeable . . . and even if they were it doesn’t matter because Marcus loves Esme’s expressive face and wouldn’t wish it otherwise). She had learned that Botox injections, which temporarily paralyze some facial muscles, have been reported to impact people’s ability to pick up on other’s emotional cues and empathize with them. She wanted to know what the connection was between peoples’ facial muscles and their abilities to process emotions. Moreover, she wondered if neurodivergent people, who sometimes struggle picking up on other peoples’ facial cues as it is, had even more difficulty reading the cues of people who recently received Botox. She was intrigued by these questions, and vowed to research them further and perhaps, one day, make her research the focus of a podcast episode. And then she started getting a lot of homework assignments and was like, nuts to that. So Marcus picked up the bit. And in true Marcus fashion he promptly fell down multiple rabbit holes. Turns out, facial muscles play a huge role in helping us recognize other peoples’ emotions. But more than that, they might also help generate, maintain, and shape our emotional experiences. In other words, we don’t feel an emotional response to something and then our facial muscles react to that emotion. Instead, our facial muscles (and other parts of the body) have a physical response to some stimuli, which then triggers an emotional response. It’s all very fascinating. So be sure to join Marcus as he shares his findings with Esme, because it is a fast, action-packed episode with some very interesting implications for neurodivergent people and our ability to interact with and understand others. Visit our website: crazytogetherpod.com Contact us: https://www.crazytogetherpod.com/contact Sources for this episode include: Davis, Joshua Ian, et al. “The Effects of BOTOX® Injections on Emotional Experience.” Emotion, vol. 10, no. 3, June 2010, pp. 433-440. DOI: 10.1037/a0018690. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2880828/ Stark, Shauna, et al. “Modulation of Amygdala Activity for Emotional Faces Due to Botulinum Toxin Type A Injections That Prevent Frowning.” Scientific Reports, vol. 13, no. 1, 27 Feb. 2023, article 3333. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29280-x. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-29280-x.pdf Raman, Nandita, et al. “Relationships between Affect Recognition, Empathy, Alexithymia, and Co-Occurring Conditions in Autism.” Brain Sciences, vol. 13, no. 8, 3 Aug. 2023, article 1161. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13081161. PubMed Central, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10452701/ “Empathy in Autism.” Cognitive Psychology Reference, CognitivePsychology.com, https://www.cognitivepsychology.com/Empathy_in_Autism. “Cognitive Empathy, Affective Empathy and Empirical Research on the Double Empathy Problem.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2026, doi:10.1007/s10803-026-07315-2. Springer Nature, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10803-026-07315-2 Our theme music Midnight—Declan DP [Audio Library Release] Music provided by Audio Library Plus Watch: • Midnight — Declan DP | Free Backgroun... Free Download / Stream: https://alplus.io/midnight-declan-dp
