Muscles that pull skin
Most muscles pull on bones. Face muscles are different. One end is tied to bone, but the other end is tied to your skin.
When they squeeze, they pull your skin into shapes. That's how your face can make so many different looks.
Try it: look in a mirror and raise your eyebrows. See the lines on your forehead? A flat muscle up there just pulled your skin up.
How many are there?
Scientists count face muscles in different ways, so books give different numbers. Some say about 20, and some say more than 40. Either way, it's dozens!
Here's a surprise: not everybody has exactly the same face muscles. Some people are missing a few small ones, and their faces work just fine.
But everybody has the main muscles that show feelings like happy, sad, surprised and scared.
The smile muscle
The zygomaticus (zy-go-MAT-ih-kus) runs from your cheekbone down to the corner of your mouth. When it pulls, the corners of your mouth go up and back. That's a smile!
A big, real smile also crinkles the skin beside your eyes. That's the ring muscle around your eye joining in.
Try it: smile big in a mirror. Then smile with just your mouth. Can you see the difference near your eyes?
Rings around your eyes and mouth
Around each eye is a ring of muscle called the orbicularis oculi (or-BIK-yoo-LAIR-is OK-yoo-lye). It closes your eyelids when you blink, wink or squeeze your eyes shut.
Around your mouth is another ring, the orbicularis oris (OR-is). It closes your lips and puckers them up to whistle, slurp or blow out candles.
Orbicularis comes from a Latin word for a little circle. So these are the 'little circle' muscles.
Talking, eating and blowing
Face muscles shape your lips and cheeks so you can make all the sounds of talking.
Your cheek muscle is called the buccinator (BUK-sih-nay-ter), from a Latin word for trumpeter. It keeps your cheeks firm when you blow, and it pushes food back between your teeth when you chew.
Try it: puff your cheeks full of air like a trumpet player, then let the air out slowly.
Smiling or frowning?
Maybe you've heard that frowning takes more muscles than smiling. It's a fun saying, but nobody has a good count.
Both smiles and frowns use lots of muscles, and it depends on how big the smile or frown is.
Here's something true and nice: smiles are catching. When you smile at someone, they often smile back.