As people age, the shape of their faces begins to change. Jaw muscles begin to shrink, leading to sagging of the skin and fat buildup in the necks. This leads to the jawline’s shape being lost and less defined. In an earlier podcast on FLAGRANT, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman was present, discussing various matters of health.
One of the topics of discussion was how to maintain a good jawline. Huberman explained how certain habits, like mouth breathing, can decrease attractiveness and affect facial structure. In the podcast, Huberman revealed the truth about mouth breathing and how to improve one’s jawline.
Nowadays, people try their best to look good, but most are not aware of how mouth breathing changes the shape of their face. During the podcast, he pointed out the major disadvantages of mouth breathing, how to overcome them, and methods to improve the jawline.
Huberman mentions that most people who are overweight or have sleep apnea have more anxiety. The reason is that they’re unable to get rid of the extra CO2, which leads them to suffocate while sleeping. These people are mostly mouth-breathers. Hence, sleeping with athletic tape on their mouth can help them breathe through their noses.
When the host asked Huberman if mouth breathing can change your face shape, he quickly answered by citing an example from a book called “Jaws.” He talks about a study where the researchers observed twins in which one kid grows up in a culture where they consume a lot of soft food, like applesauce and baby food. And on the other hand, the other one got stuck in the jungle and had to chew on bones.
The results showed that one of the identical twins had a beautiful jaw structure and high cheekbones, with his eyes being clear. But the other kid was aloof and droopy. The final result and the teeth structure showcased that chewing made a lot of difference.
Furthermore, he added another example of how facial structure changes through mouth breathing. A little girl, who once had a pet hamster, was allergic to it. Her face started aging at a rapid rate. However, when the hamster was gotten rid of, the girl was made to do nasal breathing instead of mouth closure using medical tape. This saw a change in the girl’s jaw shape while also clearing her nasal passages.
Hence, what the neuroscientist was trying to convey was that nasal breathing and chewing are what are most important for maintaining a good jaw. If one does mouth breathing, it changes the entire proportion of the face. Jaw exercisers are also another way to keep your jawline in shape, and Huberman states that they work perfectly well.
“They change your facial structure and they dilate the nasal passages.”
In addition, he mentions that the way you chew your food can modify your facial structure. Therefore, he mentions that studies have noticed that children who chew really hard food instead of slurpy foods have nicer teeth, which also helps avoid orthodontia.
“People who snore asleep during the daytime become mouth breathers and become less attractive, than the people who are nose breathers.”
Andrew Huberman also compared how animals chew their food and bite bones, but they still have beautiful teeth structures. Hence, chewing food and breathing through your nose rather than your mouth are the best methods to improve your jawline.
Andrew Huberman revealed how humans started losing teeth
In the same podcast, Huberman shared about how extended breathing via mouth can alter jaw structure. He then added to the conversation about how humans started losing teeth.
Huberman stated that if there are bacteria present in the mouth and they stay and get into the system, it can create health issues for the body. He further mentioned that the consumption of sugar and not flossing are bad habits for overall dental health.
