Muscles Used
It is a long-held belief that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. It is difficult to determine exactly how many muscles are involved in smiling or frowning as there is a wide range of facial expressions that might be considered a frown or a smile. At minimum ten muscles are required to smile in which only the upper lip and corners of the mouth are lifted. A similarly minimal frown requires only six muscles to lower the corners of the mouth. According to plastic surgeon Dr. David H. Song of the University of Chicago Medical Center, however, frowning requires 11 muscles while smiling requires 12.This method of counting the number of muscles used in generating a facial expression does not take into account the energy consumed by each muscle or the individual variability in facial muscles. While humans share facial musculature to express the universal emotions some humans have more muscles in their face and may use more of them when smiling or frowning.
| Frowning | Smiling |
|---|---|
| Platysma (2 muscles) | Zygomaticus major (2 muscles) |
| Orbicularis oculi (2 muscles) | Orbicularis oculi (2 muscles) |
| Corrugator supercilii (2 muscles) | Levator labii superioris (2 muscles) |
| Procerus (1 muscle) | Levator anguli oris (2 muscles) |
| Orbicularis oris (1 muscle) | Risorius (2 muscles) |
| Mentalis (1 muscle) | Zygomaticus minor (2 muscles) |
| Depressor anguli oris (2 muscles) | |
| 11 muscles total | 12 muscles total |
Read more about this topic: Frown
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