"You can’t ignore it. Although I train myself silly and try my best, I look old for my age. Genetically determined. Both my mum and dad also had wrinkles and deep facial lines at an early age. I don't want that and so I am considering doing something about it. Maybe even cosmetic surgery. But that costs a lot of money. Which I could also use to go on a world trip, which I have been dreaming of for a long time."

Kind regards, T.S.
Dear T.S.

Without a doubt, you will be happier travelling with a wrinkled face. The reason is quite simple. Travelling is very eventful and inspires wonder; moreover, getting to know new cultures challenges your brain. All these things make you happy. In addition, and this is more alarming, it has been documented that women who use a lot of botox are on average more likely to get depressed than those who do not. The reason being that, when something is fun or enjoyable, the many smile muscles around your mouth and eyes send signals to the brain. The brain then releases happiness hormones, including dopamine and serotonin, in response to these signals. When your smile muscles are being tightened by botox, they no longer work adequately, which means the brain receives far fewer signals and releases fewer happiness hormones. This causes low spirits.  Therefore, choose that what is proven to make you happy; learn to love yourself no matter what and travel as much as you can!

Josje Smeets, happiness psychologist