A facial expression has influence on everyone in the room

Have you ever known someone that always has a pouty look on their face? How do you feel around that person? Chances are you feel at least a little uncomfortable around someone who appears grumpy all of the time.

For women, in particular, this facial expression has come to be known as RBF or Resting B—- Face, a new term that is used to describe a woman that is grumpy looking even when she is at rest. (If you want to know if you have RBF here is a website you can go to to upload a picture of your face for analysis.)

Some women might think that having RBF makes them look more powerful. What do you think when you come across a woman that always has RBF? I would argue that you don’t feel like you want to have fun around or with that person. You might even feel grumpy, and not know the reason. Just their presence in the room could affect how you feel.

Facial expression is a signal to others

Some expressions are universal, such as happiness, surprise, disgust, fear, sadness, and anger, but if you have a hard time understanding the facial signals from others, you are not alone.  According to this BBC article, there are 19 different types of smile, and only six occur when we’re having a good time. Ironically, some people smile when they are in pain, embarrassed, uncomfortable, horrified or even miserable.

However, research suggests that our facial expression say less about how we feel in a particular moment and more about how we signal what we want for the future. For example, if you talk with someone and they make a grumpy face, this could be a signal that they want the conversation to change direction or they just have a tummy ache. The signals from our face are often misinterpreted.

Imagine a person (person A) that looks happy and peaceful, and think about how it feels to be around that person.  If this peaceful, happy person asks you for directions, what kind of response would you have?

Now, imagine another person (person B) that looks like they just smelled a fart; disgusted or irritated.  How do you feel being around this person?  If this grumpy person asked you for directions, what kind of response would you have?

Let’s take this one step further and say person A and person B asked for your help. If all other details about these people are relatively the same, chances are that your response to each of them will be very different. Now, what if the person needing directions was you? Can you imagine how your facial expression will affect the quality of assistance you will receive?

The fact is that many facial expressions are habitual and don’t convey how we feel at all

When the muscles on your face are tight, they will make some expressions harder and other expressions may never go away (like RBF).  For instance, some causes of tight facial muscles include:

• Jaw/tooth pain
• Sinus problems
• Stress
• Old head trauma
• Using a straw to drink
• Wearing a facial mask
• Shoulder/neck injury
• Digestion issues
• Eye strain
• Wearing a headset for work
• Hauling around a heavy purse/backpack
• Chewing gum

To be clear, these examples are just the first that come to mind, but I am sure there are many more reasons your face muscles could be tight.

Is there a solution for RBF?

Yamuna Face Sculpting is a facial that stretches and balances the muscles in your face. In other words, it’s a great solution to reduce RBF. In a face sculpting session, your face, neck and head are massaged using the Yamuna Face Balls. At the same time, the bones of the head are stimulated creating space in the jaw, sinuses and eye sockets. The result is a more relaxed, peaceful facial expression. You will look younger, and habitual facial expressions will be less common.

With a more peaceful expression on your face, you will react more peacefully, and others will be more relaxed in your presence. Peace is a beautiful side effect of relaxing your face!

Check out a fun interview with Nicole on the Get Foxy Show about her thoughts on Yamuna Face Sculpting.

Private Sessions and gift certificates available. Call or text to schedule your Face Sculpting Session: 970-646-2022.