RBF Face Fix: 8 Steps to Ditch RBF Forever
Science of People Team 10 min read
In This Article
Are you stuck with resting bitch face (RBF)? Fear not! In this ultimate guide, you will learn the causes of RBF and how to cure it.
Do you ever get asked questions like these on days you feel perfectly okay:
- Are you angry?
- Is something wrong?
- Did I say something to offend you?
- Why don’t you smile more?
If so, and you’ve probably already realized it, you may have “resting bothered face” (sometimes called RBF).
What is a Resting Bothered Face?
Resting bothered face is a problem dealt with by women and the occasional man (Kanye West, I’m looking at you) that makes them look irritated, upset, or otherwise unhappy when they are feeling perfectly calm and just resting their face. It also happens to people who are too tired to smile all the time.
When doing research for my book Captivate, I found a fascinating study on the science of the resting bothered face. It revealed why some people look calm and relaxed when they’re feeling neutral while others look moody.
What Creates Resting Bothered Face?
Jason Rogers, a behavioral neuroscientist, ran neutral pictures of celebrity faces through a face-scanning software to discover the differences between those who have resting bothered face and those who don’t. He found that a typical neutral face will only register approximately 3% of hidden emotions. So, their faces do in fact look neutral. People with resting bothered face however show an average of 6% underlying emotions and most of that is contempt.
Full contempt is shown when one side of the mouth is slightly raised.
Some people’s mouths naturally raise on one side when they are resting, causing them to look contemptuous even though they’re feeling neutral. This can cause lots of problems since people subconsciously have negative reactions to expressions of contempt because it is the universal facial expression for hatred and disdain.
“Eastern European people are seen as very stoic and not showing a lot of emotion and… a lot of the people touted as having RBF are women.”
— Abbe Macbeth, behavioral researcher
If you want to learn more about contempt and why it plays such a big role in our perception of people, check out our article on The Science of Contempt.
Resting Bothered Face is in the Angles
People with resting bothered face also tend to have features that are naturally angled down. For example, some people have eyes that are downcast, making them look more tired and depressed while others have downward angled mouths that make them look perpetually upset. The latter is what creates my resting bothered face.
Notice how my lips are pointed slightly downward like a small frown. This is why people often think I’m upset when nothing is wrong.
Just like the features that create resting face, there are all sorts of slight variations in your face that send strong messages to the people you interact with.
Hijack Your Mirror Time
Someone can zap their resting bothered face by turning mirror checks into a quick RBF bootcamp—no fluffy “just smile more” vibes here. Step one: they grab five minutes daily—brushing teeth, post-shower—and lock eyes with their reflection, forcing a tiny, smug grin (think “I know something you don’t”). Hold it for 30 seconds, three reps.
Step two: they amp it up—tilt the head slightly up, flash those brows like they’re spotting a friend, and soften the mouth corners. Test it: does the face scream “ approachable” or still “leave me alone”? Real case: a barista practiced this while flossing, went from “grumpy” to “chill” vibes in a week—customers tipped more. Step three: they snap a selfie mid-grin, compare it to their old RBF mug—tweak till the scowl’s gone.
They stick this in their routine—five days straight, mirror on, phone timer buzzing. It’s not fake cheer; it’s rewiring the default to dodge the bothered-face trap. They’ll catch folks saying “You look nicer lately” without breaking a sweat.
How to Get Rid of (And Cure) Your Resting Bothered Face in 7 Steps
Having a resting bothered face and being constantly perceived as moody is super annoying. Here are 7 simple tricks to stop suffering from it.
- When you are looking at someone, look up at them. This makes your eyes more open and less downcast.
- Use makeup to reshape your downcast eyes. For downcast eyes, women can use eyeliner and shadow to draw more attention to their upper eyes to make them appear more open.
- Replace your neutral frown with a small smile. If you have a naturally downcast mouth, slightly holding your cheeks up - it doesn’t have to be all the way into a smile - you can eliminate the appearance that you are frowning.
- Use the eyebrow flash. An eyebrow flash is when you lift your eyebrows in recognition whenever you see someone. The flash is a great way to say, “I recognize you and I’m friendly!” We do this to our friends and loved ones. Flash to appear more approachable.
- Put your tongue to the roof of your mouth. Take your tongue and touch it to the back of your front teeth, similar to mewing. This will help relax your facial muscles and help with that slight smile.
- Accessorize. A pair of eyeglasses (even fake ones) can drastically shift your appearance and even help mask your RBF. Try wearing eyeglasses and earrings that are fun, and wear brighter clothing—this will help counteract an unapproachable face.
- Own it. You are under no obligation to change your resting bothered face. It’s a part of who you are and if you choose to embrace it, you can ensure the people who hang around you judge you based on your words and actions and not something as superficial as your resting face.
8 Famous Celebrities with Resting Bothered Face
If you have resting bothered face, you are not alone. Here are some famous celebrities who have made their resting face famous.
Kristen Stewart has a resting bothered face. She has been repeatedly called-out on various websites for her RBF condition and even told to smile more.
Emily Blunt has been [told](
) she has resting bothered face.
Kourney Kardashian. Does she have RBF? You be the judge.
Cara Delevigne has been told she has resting bothered face.
Victoria Beckham. Fashion designers can have RBF, too.
Queen Elizabeth II. Even Queen Elizabeth herself has a bad case of RBF.
7 Male Resting Bothered Faces
Yes, men can get resting bothered face, too.
And it might be more common than you think:
- Neil Patrick Harris. “My resolution this year is to not scowl so much,” Neil Patrick Harris [said](
?t=114) during the 2018 Golden Globes.. “I realize that even just pondering that, I’m scowling. I’m not mad. Apparently, I do this while I’m thinking,” he joked.
Kanye West also has a rather iconic RAF where he can go from happy to cold-stare in the blink of an eye.
Gordon Ramsay. Love cooking? You might have seen Gordon Ramsay’s rather mean face on Hell’s Kitchen.
Eminem, the famous rapper, has resting asshole face in most of his photos, including his Twitter account.
Simon Cowell. It just goes without saying that the British television star also has RAF all throughout America’s Got Talent and The X-Factor.
Leonardo DiCaprio. And THE Leo? Yes, Leonardo DiCaprio is also known to have a resting bothered face.
How to Create a Resting Bothered Face
Want a great way to nonverbally tell someone to move on? Actress Emma Roberts perfected her resting bothered face for the television show, Scream Queen. Why? Because her character, Chanel, gives a lot of bothered face! Here’s how to create the nastiest resting bothered face.
- Narrow your eyes. Look like you’re really mad and get those between-the-brow furrows activated.
- Purse your lips. Tighten them and make your lips disappear.
- Twitch your mouth as if you’ve got pent-up anger.
- Make the exit. If you’re in a conversation, flip your hair and end the convo to avoid after-RBF awkwardness.
You can use the RBF to your advantage to fend off unwanted cat-callers, focus on your remote work without being distracted by others, or even make a bold statement with your biggest enemy.
Other Resting Face Types
Not all resting faces are bothered. You can pretty much find all types of emotions in resting faces:
Resting Murder Face. The type of face you can only imagine a serial killer has. A stone-cold stare is a must.
Resting Happy Face. People with this face look like they’re constantly happy, or at least in a decent mood.
Resting Shade Face. The type of face that makes you look like you’re constantly up to no good. People with this face would do best to avoid going to convenience stores at 2AM.
Resting Sad Face. Do you look like you’re about to constantly cry, even if you’re engaged in a difficult math problem (or setting your goals)? You might have a resting sad face.
Resting Creep Face is another face popularized by Netflix’s Astronomy Club. Resting creep face is certainly real, and if you have it, you might want to master your facial expressions the next time you ask someone on a date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_RXNEZt7fI
Resting Surprised Face. People with this face may have raised eyebrows and normally larger eyes. This face screams, “Woah!” but in reality, they may be calm as a rock.
Resting Smug Face. This face can be seen from a person who appears to naturally have or show excessive pride in his/her self, without meaning to.
Resting Grinch Face. This is the type of face that not only says, “I hate presents,” but “I’ll steal the cookies, too.”
How Common is Resting Bothered Face?
People have had resting bothered faces since humans were on this Earth. Just take a look at this caveman if you don’t believe it:
Bonus: Grumpy Cat (Resting Bothered Face Cat)
Have you ever seen the grumpy cat meme? Apparently, cats can have resting bothered face too.
So if you have a case of resting bothered face, it’s OK!
Learning to practice self-love, knowing how to not be a people pleaser, and increasing your self-worth will ultimately lead you to a better place than trying to get rid of your RBF.
Trust me, I know from experience.
This article is part of our body language guide. Click here for more.