[Awareness Survey on Online Impressions and Self-Care] About 80% "Prefer Not to Show Faces" in Online Meetings! The Dilemma of Modern Business Professionals Prone to "Facial Muscle Freeze"
Lion Corporation conducted an awareness survey targeting working women in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The results revealed a dilemma: while over 70% recognize rich facial expressions as a crucial business skill, nearly 80% prefer to keep their cameras off during online meetings, with 70% experiencing 'facial muscle freeze' due to prolonged screen time.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 8, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 8, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 19:48 (296h 17m after Collected)
Lion Corporation (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo) conducted an "Awareness Survey on Online Impressions and Self-Care" targeting working women in their 20s to 40s (users of online meetings) in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
With the diversification of work styles, online meetings have become a fixture in daily business scenes. As screen-based communication increases, the "impression of one's face and facial expressions" influences smooth work operations more than ever before. This survey highlighted a dilemma unique to modern business professionals: while about 70% of women recognize that "rich facial expressions are a business skill," they also experience facial stiffness (= facial muscle freeze) from prolonged PC work, and about 80% harbor a reluctance to show their faces, stating they "prefer not to show my face in online meetings if possible."
[Survey Overview] Awareness Survey on Online Impressions and Self-Care
- Survey Sponsor: Lion Corporation
- Survey Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- Method: Internet survey
- Target: 247 employed women in their 20s to 40s living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (users of online meetings)
1. Survey Results Summary
① Over 70% believe that rich facial expressions are a "business skill" and "smooth out human relations."
② On the other hand, about 80% feel reluctant to show their faces in online meetings. Even when showing their faces, about 70% feel that "changes in facial expressions are harder to understand than in face-to-face meetings."
③ Actually, about 70% are aware that their "facial muscles are stiff." Meanwhile, just under 8% practice "facial muscle exercises," making it an untouched area with massive "room for growth"!
2. Survey Results Details
① "Rich facial expressions" are now an essential business skill! About 70% recognize its importance
Spring is a season when opportunities to meet people for the first time increase at work. In business, 75.3% of respondents answered that rich facial expressions (smiles and mouth movements) "smooth out human relations" (Figure 1), and 75.3% also answered that it is "one of the important business skills" (Figure 2). It is evident that the vast majority of working women strongly recognize the "importance of facial expressions" in addition to the content of their words for work performance and building trustworthy relationships.
② About 80% answered "I don't want to show my face." The barrier of screen-based communication
Despite understanding the importance of facial expressions, 77.8% (about 80%) of people thought they "prefer to turn off the camera (don't want to show my face)" when participating in online meetings (Figure 3). Furthermore, even when their faces are on screen, 66.4% of people feel that "changes in facial expressions in online meetings are harder to understand than in face-to-face meetings" (Figure 4). Because enthusiasm and emotions are inherently difficult to convey through a screen, consciously moving one's facial expressions seems to be the key to smoothing out business, especially in an online-centric work style.
With the diversification of work styles, online meetings have become a fixture in daily business scenes. As screen-based communication increases, the "impression of one's face and facial expressions" influences smooth work operations more than ever before. This survey highlighted a dilemma unique to modern business professionals: while about 70% of women recognize that "rich facial expressions are a business skill," they also experience facial stiffness (= facial muscle freeze) from prolonged PC work, and about 80% harbor a reluctance to show their faces, stating they "prefer not to show my face in online meetings if possible."
[Survey Overview] Awareness Survey on Online Impressions and Self-Care
- Survey Sponsor: Lion Corporation
- Survey Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2026
- Method: Internet survey
- Target: 247 employed women in their 20s to 40s living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (users of online meetings)
1. Survey Results Summary
① Over 70% believe that rich facial expressions are a "business skill" and "smooth out human relations."
② On the other hand, about 80% feel reluctant to show their faces in online meetings. Even when showing their faces, about 70% feel that "changes in facial expressions are harder to understand than in face-to-face meetings."
③ Actually, about 70% are aware that their "facial muscles are stiff." Meanwhile, just under 8% practice "facial muscle exercises," making it an untouched area with massive "room for growth"!
2. Survey Results Details
① "Rich facial expressions" are now an essential business skill! About 70% recognize its importance
Spring is a season when opportunities to meet people for the first time increase at work. In business, 75.3% of respondents answered that rich facial expressions (smiles and mouth movements) "smooth out human relations" (Figure 1), and 75.3% also answered that it is "one of the important business skills" (Figure 2). It is evident that the vast majority of working women strongly recognize the "importance of facial expressions" in addition to the content of their words for work performance and building trustworthy relationships.
② About 80% answered "I don't want to show my face." The barrier of screen-based communication
Despite understanding the importance of facial expressions, 77.8% (about 80%) of people thought they "prefer to turn off the camera (don't want to show my face)" when participating in online meetings (Figure 3). Furthermore, even when their faces are on screen, 66.4% of people feel that "changes in facial expressions in online meetings are harder to understand than in face-to-face meetings" (Figure 4). Because enthusiasm and emotions are inherently difficult to convey through a screen, consciously moving one's facial expressions seems to be the key to smoothing out business, especially in an online-centric work style.