Women are concerned their resting facial expressions are miscommunicating their true feelings
Research conducted by Allergan, the maker of JUVÉDERM® facial fillers, reveals 74% of 3,195 people surveyed worry that other people will make incorrect judgements about them because of their normal, resting facial expressions.1
In fact, nearly nine in 10 (86%) said they had been told that they look tired, when actually, they felt fine and 73% said they worry their face at rest gives the impression they are sad or angry when they aren’t.
As a leading manufacturer within medical aesthetics, Allergan commissioned this latest market research to explore what consumers feel about their natural expressions, and how our outward appearance impacts how we convey our feelings.
Dan Stewart, Business Unit Director of Medical Aesthetics at Allergan UK, said, “We are hearing more and more that one of the reasons people start to consider having cosmetic treatments such as facial fillers is because when they look in the mirror, they don’t feel that their reflection reveals how they truly feel. Many people worry they look tired all the time, and some have also had friends or family comment on their worn-out appearance, which is not a true representation of how they are feeling. We carried out this research because we wanted to explore misunderstandings about resting facial expressions – and the importance of expressions for daily communication."
On the other hand though, the research also highlighted the important role facial expressions play in helping people to communicate effectively with others – and why it matters that they accurately reflect how people are feeling:
89% said they often use their facial expressions to send a ‘positive vibe’ within a room; be that in a friendly or ‘flirty’ manner
93% agreed facial expressions were important in an interview situation, on a date (93%) and in a meeting (89%)
Almost half (48%) admitted to practicing their facial expression in private before an event; and interestingly, more men admitted to doing it than women.
Aesthetic practitioner Dr Tapan Patel, commented, “I often have patients come into my clinic saying they no longer think that their face reflects how they feel inside. They feel confident, happy and energised but their friends and colleagues tell them that they look tired and sad. The face is made up of what we call ‘happy lines’ and ‘sad lines’. As an aesthetic practitioner, I look to treat my patients in a way that softens negative lines to enhance the patient’s appearance and make them look happier. The psychological boost that patients can get as a result of treatment is sometimes astounding. My patients often report that people no longer perceive them as being miserable, angry or stressed.”
Reading between the lines
In terms of the ageing process, while 62% of respondents agreed that fine lines and wrinkles are important for showing genuine emotion on people’s faces, the research also highlighted the impact different parts of the face can have to express different emotions. Nearly half (48%) said they thought the lips and mouth expressed happiness, but 16% thought frown lines reflected sadness. Despite negative connotations towards certain lines and wrinkles, additional research shows that women don’t want to lose all of them because they don’t want to look ten years younger. In fact, they just want to look good for their age.2 These results came from a study which revealed that given the chance to transform into a younger looking version of themselves, most women chose not to.
The surprising results were reinforced by public preference as well because nearly two thirds (63%)* of the 2,000 women surveyed said the participants looked better with most of their wrinkles intact and with only subtle tweaks made to their appearance.2 Nearly two in three respondents (64%), thought the images of the women with a few wrinkles softened looked refreshed and 69% thought they looked good for their age.2
Helle Kinning, 37, is a European Marketing Specialist. She made the decision to have facial filler treatment when her face started to lose volume as a result of running and doing a lot of sports. She says: “I’ve always been a keen runner but when I upped my training, it had a negative impact on my appearance. My cheek bones appeared hollowed-out and my face looked tired and unhappy – even though on the inside, I felt great. After a thorough consultation, I decided to have some filler in my cheeks, under my eyes and in my frown line. Not only were my small lines filled but my face looked fresher and happier – I even wear less make-up as a result.”
* This statistic was calculated by taking an average percentage for each respondent who ranked either image 2 (slightly retouched) or image 3 (modestly retouched) as being the best version (top rank) of any of the four women.
References
- Insight Engineers Research, June 2015, commissioned by Allergan UK. Survey of 3,195 people carried out in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and South Africa.
- Opinium Research, November 2014, commissioned by Allergan UK. Online survey of 2,029 UK females aged 18+.