# Do injectable drugs that make muscles more contract able exist
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 20, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379 "2013-11-20T21:44:05Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379/1 "2013-11-20T21:44:05Z")
The communication between facial expressions and emotions is a two way communication, the emotions can make facial muscles change and changing your facial muscles can change emotions. Being afraid makes you develop a fear face and consciously developing a fear face can make you afraid.
Botox paralyzes muscles which depending on which facial muscles are affected can improve or deflate mood. The muscles around the eyes, when they contract, are associated with positive moods. Those muscles really can’t he controlled consciously but are there ways to use biofeedback, injectable drugs or electrostimulation on those muscles to see what effect the has on mood? It seems like a potential treatment for depression.
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### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379/2 "2013-11-20T22:42:56Z")
The first place to start would be some good evidence that “changing your facial muscles can change emotions.” Just telling depressed people to smile is being a jerk, not helping them. _Making_ them smile would be worse.
Anyway, drugs that “make muscles more contractable” include “tetanus toxin,” which–as its name suggests–isn’t something people like in any quantity.
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### Author:  [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379/3 "2013-11-20T23:57:35Z")
There have been a number of studies that have found a relationship between [facial expression and mood](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier), including some that specifically looked at botox.
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### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [November 21, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379/4 "2013-11-21T22:20:21Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#):
>
> There have been a number of studies that have found a relationship between [facial expression and mood](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=smile-it-could-make-you-happier), including some that specifically looked at botox.
Hey, thanks! It’s a shame they were all so small.
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### Author:  [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)
#### Post date: [November 22, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-injectable-drugs-that-make-muscles-more-contract-able-exist/674379/5 "2013-11-22T04:33:13Z")
Acetylcholine agonists are the opposite of antagonists like Botox. I don’t know of any that are used clinically or cosmetically for the reasons in the OP. Both can cause paralysis if the right drug, except for opposite reasons. Maybe you could cuddle up to a black widow? Others are nicotine and muscarine (from mushrooms) (the latter is probably better for your purposes as it acts slower but longer, but I doubt that will work anyway)
You might also be interested in the [James-Lange theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%E2%80%93Lange_theory).
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#):
>
> The first place to start would be some good evidence that “changing your facial muscles can change emotions.” Just telling depressed people to smile is being a jerk, not helping them. _Making_ them smile would be worse.
>
> Anyway, drugs that “make muscles more contractable” include “tetanus toxin,” which–as its name suggests–isn’t something people like in any quantity.
People who’ve never been depressed also think it’s the same thing as sadness, when depressed people can even be happy from time to time, but it’s more transitory.
Tetanus is not literally the opposite psychopharmacologically, but can have similar symptoms. To oversimplify, adding more of an excitatory neurotransmitter can have a similar effect as taking away an inhibitory NT. Looks like tetanus blocks the mostly inhibitory NTs glycine and GABA, thus rigidity.