1y ago

is the ability to raise one eyebrow a thing to born with?

🤨

37 comments

When I was a kid I wanted to be able to raise one eyebrow, but I couldn't figure out how. What I did was use my hand to raise it over and over again to kind of train the muscle. Eventually I could do it without the help of my hand! Also a fun fact: I only ever did it with my left eye brow for some reason, and now that's the only one I can move on it's own.
- Interesting how everyone says they can only lift their left. I'm much better at lifting my right, but I'm also left handed. I wonder if they're related.
  
  Right handed and right eyebrow. Possibly from imitating Spock, in my case.
  
  left handed and right brow gang aswell. Wonder if it has to do with brain hemispheres
  
  Left handed and right eye brow here also
  
  I'm a southpaw as well, but I have a much easier time independently raising my left eyebrow, so maybe, maybe not.
  I only write, and bat left-handed though. I throw, catch, and do gross motor skills either ambidextrously, or right handed.
- I did a similar thing to learn the Spock salute. Just wrapped an elastic band around my ring and pinkie fingers for two days to train my ring finger to be more independent from my middle finger.
- me too, but it was my third leg instead
  
  Lol, me too
- I did the exact same thing, and can also only lift my left one on its own.
- same thing here. I can only move my left eyebrow
  
  Huh. I used to be able to do both (right better than left). Now I've got one of those notch scars in my left eyebrow just to the right of where that muscle pulls, and I can't get it to move properly. Fuck aging.

I am not an expert by any means, but as far as I know, no. There are lots of little muscles in and around your face that most people never use, and if you've never used them, then you won't know how. I'm pretty sure it's possible to learn how to use these muscles, but I wouldn't be able to give any advice on that part. It's similar to how some people can wiggle their ears
- So pretty sure everyone used the muscles subconsciously. It’s more many people don’t have the conscious control to move just the one muscle.
  It can be learned, though
  
  Confirming this.
  I was in an accident when I was 15, severing the nerves for two of my facial muscles (levator labii superioris and zygomaticus minor, to be specific). I am now 40, and my smile is crooked because of this.
  The nerves have healed, as confirmed by various tests, but my brain has simply forgotten how to control these muscles. It's hard to explain, but on the right side of my face I can control those muscles just fine... I just cannot translate the same action into something for the left side.
  It's not really a disability, so I don't really care that much, but I have considered asking my doctor if he can send me to a neurologist or something.

I can raise and lower my eyebrows independently, wiggle my ears, and move my eyes independently of each other. My husband can do none of these things. Maybe they're related abilities?
- But can you flair your nostrils? haha
  
  I can indeed.
  Edit: I can flare them independently if it matters.
- Oh yeah, I forgot about my eyes. I can do that one, too.

Seems that a lot of people have said something similar, but FWIW...
I've been able to move my left eyebrow by itself for as long as I can remember.
I taught myself to move the right eyebrow in 15 minutes standing in front of a mirror. This was about 20 years ago and I can still do it.
For anyone interested, as people have said, it's about isolating and learning the 'instruction' that does it. In this case, seeing as I could raise both eyebrows together, I just did that repeatedly whilst holding the left one in place with my fingers. Fifteen minutes later, and I could do it without needing the fingers.

I can only lift my left eyebrow well; when I lift my right, it's more like a whole-face ordeal. But I did practice both in front of a mirror, and that's the only reason I can lift either. There was an innate ability on the left, and much practice on the right. So, yes?
Wiggling my ears took practice, too, but the taco-tongue thing came naturally to me.
- Full disclosure: I learned to lift my left eyebrow well because I wanted to be like Spock. The eyebrow lift seemed... logical.
- Alright, so my husband points out that I can probably reach every part of my body - including "that spot between my shoulder blades that [he] can't reach" with either hand, or putting my fingers flat on the floor, with my hands at a 90° angle, backwards... I'm very hyper-mobile and my body moves in ways that are not normal.

I know a lot of people say it's learned but I know I've been doing it for as long as I can remember and as a kid I initially never did it consciously.
I had adults get on me for 'giving them a look' when I was a kid but like... I wasn't giving that look intentionally... it was just a natural reaction... I mean, usually when I thought something was stupid or it baffled/confused me in some way but I wasn't intentionally giving 'nasty looks'...

Personal experience, but I can only raise my left eyebrow on demand. Same with my upper lip. I cannot independently move those parts of the right side of my face no matter how I’ve tried. This has been true from childhood and I had no injuries I’m aware of that could have caused it.
So from my experience, I’d buy that there is a physical, possibly genetic component to whether it’s possible or not.
- I also can only raise my left eyebrow, but I learned to do it as a teen. Maybe I just got lucky and found the right nerve to trigger and am now very aware of where it is.
- It's my right side upper lip for me.
  I'm glad nobody is in the room with me. I've gotta look ridiculous.
  ¯(ツ)/¯
  Edit: he came into the room just as I hit send on this one :-P
- I'm exactly the same. ihad to train myself to even raise my left eyebrow independently, though.

Nope, trained it in front of a mirror when I was ~11yo.

Spent a lot of time in front of a mirror figuring out exactly which muscles to pull and which to freeze

Pick a lemon and give it at a newborn, then you get the answer.

it took me forever to learn to use them.. .like, years, but now i can jim carrey some shit

I might be in the minority here, but was anyone else taught to move their toes independently in martial arts?
- I can't move my toes individually at all . But I know some people that can and thought it was a genetic thing. I try to focus really hard and move my toes individually and just can't do it .
- No, I could already partially do it.

37 comments