What They Do
Your face has special muscles, kind of like the ones in your arms or legs. These ones are right around your mouth, and they work together to move your lips and face. When you laugh, those muscles pull your lips up; when you pout, they push them down.
How They Work
Imagine you're holding a big cookie, yum! You use the same kind of muscles that help you say "yum" or "no thank you." Some of these muscles are like little bands that stretch and tighten. When they tighten, your lips go up (like when you smile). When they relax, your lips can go down (like when you frown).
You don’t even have to think about it, it just happens, kind of like how your arms move when you reach for something. These muscles are always working in the background, helping you make faces and talk all day long!
Examples
- A child learns to smile by using the zygomaticus major muscle.
- Someone frowns when they feel sad, using their corrugator supercilii muscle.
- A person puckers their lips to blow out a candle.
Ask a question
See also
- What are cheeks?
- {"response":"{\"What is the pterygopalatine fossa?
- What is Facial nerve (VII)?
- How come large herbivores have such thin legs?
- What are mammaries?