Muscles Behind Expressions
Keshia Rayna: Hey hey, everyone! Welcome to Flanatomy — the podcast where anatomy meets attitude. I’m your cohost, Keshia Rayna — your friendly neighborhood fact-checker, sass dispenser, and occasional voice of reason.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: And I’m Dr. Stephen Flanagan — or Flan, if you’ve already been stuck in one of my three-hour lectures. I make anatomy fun, mildly dangerous, and occasionally existential.
Keshia Rayna: Emphasis on occasionally existential.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Hey, you’d be surprised how philosophical you get when you’ve spent a whole semester talking about fascia and someone asks, “But where does the body end?”
Keshia Rayna: Okay, Socrates, let’s not scare people off in the first minute. Today we’re kicking off our muscle series — four glorious episodes diving deep into how the human body moves, flexes, and makes weird faces in selfies.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: That’s right. And we’re starting with the stars of the show — the muscles of the face and neck. These are the ones that make you smile, chew, frown, pout, and nod politely while pretending to listen in class.
Keshia Rayna: So basically all the ones I overuse during staff meetings.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly.
Keshia Rayna: Let’s start from the top — literally. The frontalis muscle. Sounds fancy, but it’s basically your “I’m shocked!” muscle, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Precisely. The frontalis sits across your forehead. It’s the reason your eyebrows go up when you see your exam grade. It’s connected to the occipitalis muscle at the back of your head through a sheet of connective tissue called the epicranial aponeurosis — kind of like a tough, stretchy headband.
Keshia Rayna: So it’s like the front and back halves of the same team?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yeah — they work in tandem. When the occipitalis pulls, the frontalis can relax, and vice versa. Anatomists used to call them the occipitofrontalis, treating it like one unified muscle, but these days we split it into two.
Keshia Rayna: Science, forever complicating things that were working just fine.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: That’s what we do best! But the frontalis is a fascinating example of how your skin is directly influenced by the muscles underneath. Facial expression muscles — unlike most others — actually attach to the skin, not to bone on both ends. That’s why Botox works: it paralyzes that muscle, and the overlying skin can’t wrinkle.
Keshia Rayna: So when people say, “My forehead doesn’t move,” that’s not a metaphor.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly. It’s neuromuscular reality.
Keshia Rayna: Okay, moving down a bit — the temporalis. That’s one of those muscles you can feel flex if you bite down hard, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yes! Place your hand just above your ear and clench your jaw — feel that bulge? That’s your temporalis doing its job. It’s a powerful elevator of the mandible — that’s anatomy speak for “jaw closer.”
Keshia Rayna: So it’s working with the masseter, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Teamwork makes the chew work! The masseter is the main star when you’re crushing through a sandwich, but the temporalis gives that precision and control — like a sniper’s trigger finger.
Keshia Rayna: That explains why my temporalis was sore after I stress-ate a bag of almonds during finals.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Ah yes, the temporalis workout plan — 12 reps of panic chewing!Segment 3: “Orbicularis oculi — The Real Smiler”
Keshia Rayna: Let’s talk about smiles — the orbicularis oculi, my favorite muscle to say three times fast.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: That’s your eye’s “ring of power.” It’s a circular muscle that closes your eyelids. You use it to blink, squint, and make that scrunchy eye when you’re really laughing — the one that makes your cheeks rise.
Keshia Rayna: The Duchenne smile, right? The genuine one.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly! The fake smile only uses your zygomaticus major, but the real smile — the one that makes you look like you mean it — fires up the orbicularis oculi too.
Keshia Rayna: So our eyes really do smile. I love that.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yep. The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the orbicularis oculi are the curtains.
Keshia Rayna: Did you just write that on the fly?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Maybe I’ve had too much coffee.
Keshia Rayna: Alright, let’s wrinkle our noses — literally. The nasalis muscle.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: This little muscle helps flare your nostrils — and you don’t realize how expressive it is until you meet someone who does it too much.
Keshia Rayna: Or when you’re in a gym locker room.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yes! That nostril flare says, “I can smell testosterone.” But the nasalis is important — it helps control airflow and plays a role in subtle expressions, especially disgust or distaste.Segment 5: “The Orbicularis Oris and the Buccinator — Talk, Kiss, and Chew”
Keshia Rayna: Okay, the orbicularis oris — that’s the lip muscle, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Correct. It’s a complex sphincter around your mouth. It lets you pucker, pronounce words, and keep food inside while chewing.
Keshia Rayna: Basically the muscle of “Shut your mouth,” literally.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly. And deep to that is the buccinator — one of my favorites. It’s like the unsung hero of the face.
Keshia Rayna: I know you love this one. You always bring up frogs when you talk about it.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Oh, absolutely. Frogs use a process called buccal pumping to breathe — they literally push air into their lungs by expanding and contracting their cheek region, using the buccinator. So next time you blow up your cheeks for a selfie, think: “I’m one evolutionary step from a frog.”
Keshia Rayna: That’s going to ruin selfies for people.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: You’re welcome.
Keshia Rayna: Now, the masseter — this one’s famous. I read somewhere it’s one of the strongest muscles in the body by weight?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: That’s right! Pound for pound, the masseter can exert impressive force — up to around 200 pounds of bite force in some people. That’s the reason we can crack hard foods and also why stress-jaw clenching is so painful.
Keshia Rayna: So this little side muscle of the face can technically outlift most of us?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: In a sense, yeah! I mean, I once deadlifted 600 pounds back in my more reckless youth, but the masseter’s doing that every day — at scale!
Keshia Rayna: There it is — the first weightlifting story of the podcast.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: I’ll pace myself. But the masseter deserves respect. It’s pure functional power, and it operates nonstop — even when you’re talking too much. When deadlifting, I like to wear a mouthguard so that I don't crack teeth when I clinch my Jaw!
Keshia Rayna: Wow, the masseter is that strong?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yes — the masseter muscle is absolutely strong enough to crack teeth if you clench your jaw with enough force. it can generate 500–700 newtons in healthy adults, sometimes more. That amount of force is easily enough to fracture enamel, which is the hardest substance in the body, under the right conditions. I actually had to get a special crown pu on because I did fracture a molar clinching to hard on a big pull.
Keshia Rayna: Bananas! Now let’s move below the jaw — the hyoid region. I always thought this part was weirdly poetic. It’s a floating bone, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yeah, the hyoid’s unique. It doesn’t articulate with any other bone — it’s like a tiny horseshoe just chilling in your neck. It’s the anchor point for a bunch of small muscles: the mylohyoid, digastric, sternohyoid, thyrohyoid, sternothyroid, and of course, the sternocleidomastoid and scalenes a bit lower.
Keshia Rayna: I love the digastric — “di” meaning two, “gastric” meaning belly. Two bellies! It’s like the muscle’s got a six-pack of its own.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly — one anterior belly, one posterior, connected by a tendon that loops through the hyoid. It helps open your jaw, which is why you can yawn so dramatically.
Keshia Rayna: Speaking of the hyoid… it’s been in the news again recently — Epstein, right? The reports about a broken hyoid bone.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yeah, I’ll say this: the only reason I noticed that story was for its anatomical relevancy. A fractured hyoid is rare, often associated with strangulation — but that’s as far as we’ll go. We’ll leave the rest for Reddit.
Keshia Rayna: Smart move. Stay in your lane, Doc.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly. Anatomy, not conspiracy. But it is fascinating how such a small structure can be so diagnostically telling.
Keshia Rayna: Okay, let’s end with two big ones — the sternocleidomastoid and the scalenes.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Ah yes, the SCM — the show-off of the neck. It’s the one that pops out when you turn your head or shout at your car’s GPS. It runs from the sternum and clavicle up to the mastoid process behind your ear — hence the name.
Keshia Rayna: So “sterno” is for the sternum, “cleido” is for the clavicle, and “mastoid” is referring to the bony knob behind your ear. It’s literally the map of its attachments in the name!
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Exactly! Etymology meets anatomy — my favorite combo.
Keshia Rayna: And the scalenes — those are deeper neck muscles, right?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yep. Three of them — anterior, middle, and posterior — forming a kind of ladder. They help with breathing by elevating the first two ribs, and they also stabilize the neck. When they tighten too much, you feel that awful “tech neck” tension
Keshia Rayna: So, posture matters.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Always. I tell my students — the body’s just one long negotiation between gravity and dignity.
Keshia Rayna: I’m stealing that for a T-shirt.
The Science of 'Resting Face' and First Impressions
Keshia Rayna: Okay, confession—I one hundred percent have “resting unimpressed face.” I can’t help it! But, like, what’s going on with that scientifically? Is it just habit, or is it—like—my bone structure sneaking shade?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: You’re not alone. The ‘resting face’—some folks might call it, well, other things online—is partly the result of muscle tone and natural anatomical differences. Some people have a heavier set of facial muscles at rest, so their features fall into a particular look. Your orbicularis oris or depressor anguli oris might subtly pull your corners down, even if you’re chillin’ and loving life.
Keshia Rayna: That’s wild. And there’s actual research, right? Didn’t they do, like, a study on politicians and how facial tension changed people’s trust instantly? It’s so memeable—like, you see a still of someone mid-sentence and, boom, it’s the next viral “judging you” meme.
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Yep! Some peer-reviewed studies actually found that chronic facial or neck tension sends social signals, even if you’re not aware you’re doing it. People seem more approachable or trustworthy if their resting face is neutral or a bit upturned. I used to, uh, over-practice my smile in grad school—thought I could “train” my way into a better first impression. But I just ended up with facial cramps and some awkward encounters in the mirror. I still think my mirror flinches when I walk by.
Keshia Rayna: Okay, but—is it even worth trying to “fix” your resting face? Isn’t that, like, exhausting? I say just give us a little grace—if you see someone lookin’ aloof, maybe they’re just deep in thought, not plotting your doom. But I get the pressure, especially with all those viral face memes. People read so much into an unintentional look!
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: Honestly, I’m with you. Anatomy sets the stage, but personality, context, and, I dunno, how many finals you pulled all-nighters for matter way more. We’re all wired a bit differently—so embrace your natural expression! Or, you know, just own your “resting grad student panic face,” like I did for years. Keeps people guessing.
Keshia Rayna: That’s basically my life motto—confuse ‘em with kindness and maybe a little sass. All right, that’s our time! This has been “Face and Neck Anatomy Unveiled”—now you literally can’t unsee other people’s zygomaticus in action. Dr. F, you ready to go analyze the next family photo?
Dr. Stephen Flanagan: You know it, Keshia! And thanks to everyone listening for geeking out with us about anatomy, one awkward smile at a time. Next episode, we’ll dig even deeper—so save those stories, stretch those necks, and we’ll catch you next time on Flanatomy. Bye, Keshia!
Keshia Rayna: Bye Dr. F! Later everyone—keep those expressions interesting!
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