Could Botox Replace Prozac?

We all know that too much Botox can wipe away a person's facial expressions along with her worry lines. This is bad if you're an actress, but seems to have a positive effect on sufferers of depression, a new study has found. Apparently, it's not as easy to feel blue when you're physically incapable of frowning.

 

Researchers at the University of Basel in Switzerland Botoxed patients with clinical depression that was unresponsive to antidepressant medications, while a control group received placebo injections. The group that was treated showed a 47 percent reduction in depressive symptoms over 16 weeks, while the placebo group only saw their symptoms reduced 9 percent. The study's author believes that Botox messes with the facial muscles' ability to cue feelings in the brain.

 

One caveat: While looking in the mirror to see a wrinkle-free face looking back at you can be pretty great, it might not make you happy, exactly. The inability to express emotion presumably affects the positive ones, too.