Can you raise only one eyebrow?

[Deckerd]

Roger Moore's on The One show on Beeb 1 tonight and demonstrating his awesome independent eyebrow raising abilities.

They have a maxillofacial consultant on who says it's learned in childhood, although only if you have the genetic ability to do it, and some people retain it in adulthood.

So which are you? I can't do it to save my life. I should make this a poll but don't have a clue how to do that either.

 

[thestrangequark]

I cannot, but my sister can.

 

[Misfit Toy]

I can raise my left eyebrow, but not the right.

 

[Mary Ann]

I can to raise my left eyebrow a bit, but as I wear glasses it's usually a pointless exercise as no one can see my party trick.

Edit: If I take my glasses off I walk into walls, so it's not worth it.

 

[Kestra]

Yeah, I can raise each eyebrow separately. I taught myself how to do it when I was a teenager or something, with one eyebrow. I can't remember the reason, was probably being silly with someone. Then it bugged me that I couldn't do it with the other one so now I can!

If you want to train yourself to do it, take some pictures so we can all have a laugh at the funny faces you'll make.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Yeah, I can raise each one separately. It never occurred to me that other people couldn't!

 

[Deckerd]

According to the maxillofacial specialist you can only do it if you are genetically predisposed to be able to do it. Otherwise I think it's going to be a real slog to train your face how to do it.

 

[thestrangequark]

Since my sister can, I wonder if I could too if I practiced. I doubt I've enough determination to find out, though.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Yeah, I can raise each one separately. It never occurred to me that other people couldn't!

Same here.

I can also roll my tongue which apparently also isn't true for everybody.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I can't raise my eyebrows independently. I tried for years, but I just can't. I can't!

I can roll my tongue, tho. And move my ears.

 

[Kestra]

According to the maxillofacial specialist you can only do it if you are genetically predisposed to be able to do it. Otherwise I think it's going to be a real slog to train your face how to do it.

Try it!

 

[Mary Ann]

Since my sister can, I wonder if I could too if I practiced. I doubt I've enough determination to find out, though.

Possibly, but my guess is that you'd know by now whether or not you could. One of my sons can wiggle his ears as he can control his facial muscles right next to his ears, but my husband and I don't know of any other family member who can do this, and we're both from large families. My son appears to be a genetic one-off in this respect.

 

[RoJoHen]

Nope.

 

[Deckerd]

Ear movements are obviously a throwback. Facial movements are however, are as crucial to human communication as they ever were. The maxfactor consultant was saying that we have more muscles in our face than in any other part of our body.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I can raise my left eyebrow, but not the right.

I'm the other way around.

 

[ITL]

I can raise my left eyebrow and do the Elvis lip-curl on the left side. Both at the same time. Oh yeah.

 

[Deckerd]

I can raise my left eyebrow and do the Elvis lip-curl on the left side. Both at the same time. Oh yeah.

Do you look like you've had a stroke?

 

[ITL]

That would be droopier in nature. I look like I've had an anti-stroke.

 

[Deckerd]

That word droopier has just made me wonder something I never thought about stroke.

 

[Mary Ann]

Ear movements are obviously a throwback. Facial movements are however, are as crucial to human communication as they ever were. The maxfactor consultant was saying that we have more muscles in our face than in any other part of our body.

Brilliant, I'll tell my ear-wiggling son he's a throwback.

That's interesting about having more facial muscles. It's also interesting that our cultural norms frown (pun intended) upon adults showing facial emotions in so many situations. All those facial muscles, and nowhere to use them, so to speak.