Scientists don’t know why we have eyebrows. Over the last few thousand years, most of the body hair on humans has fallen out. This is what distinguishes us from the primates who have full body hair. Then why is this tiny bit of hair needed just above our eyes? It is believed that the close connection between the eyes and eyebrows is the reason we have eyebrows. It is distinguished by the shape of the eyebrows.
There are curved eyebrows, a slant on one side, and ‘feature’ hairs that face away from the eyes. It is believed that this is to make sure moisture flows away from the eyes, along with the side of your head and nose. Rain or salty sweat doesn’t reach the eye sockets and thus, it doesn’t sting nor hinder vision. In addition to the small ridge running across the brows, eyebrows may also provide additional protection from debris such as small insects, dust, and particles in air.
Psychological Benefits
The eyebrows are more than just a protective tool. They also play an essential role in expressing one’s personality. Changes in the shape of eyebrows are one of the most obvious indicators that a person’s mood is changing. They can instantly change our expression from happy to anger, or from understanding to quizzical, in a fraction-of-a second.
Although they are mostly useful in a social setting, many instances have shown that eyebrow expressions have helped protect people from being prey to predators. Their original function may have been to warn predators. Early hominids slept on trees under trees and their eyebrows were visible to alert them. Big cats, especially, may avoid being attacked if it is believed they are being monitored.
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Beyond the Functional
Needless to mention, eyebrows are not considered functional objects by everyone. Today, eyebrows have many uses. They can be plucked, waxed. Sometimes they can even be tinted to a different color or enhanced with jewels. There are some more extreme modifications, such as Botox injections for “improvement” of the shape or to level them up (when they are not even) or to give them a “lift”.
It’s not new – Japanese women in the 8th Century would take out their eyebrows completely to replace them with painted substitutes. These replacements were located higher up on the forehead. This was fashionable at the time. There’s no doubt that the humble eyebrow gets more attention than most.
Frequently Ask Questions?
Can A Person Live Without Eyebrows?
All that sweat could seep into your eyes. Other hair characteristics, facial characteristics and skin conditions have been shown to be affected by mutations in this gene. Although it’s clear that eyebrow height is dependent on your DNA there’s no definitive answer to where thick eyebrows originate. They do not come from one region or ethnicity. Escape! Nature would prefer humans with eyebrows to those without.
Why Did We Develop Eyebrows?
The original reason eyebrows were created to protect our eyes from rain and sweat. Humans depend on sight more than any other sense. With no eyebrows water can easily get in to blur our vision. Eyebrows are also useful in shielding our eyes from the Sun, and may help deflect some debris.
What Happens When Two Eyebrows Meet Each Other?
Unborn (also known as jaccobrow or monobrow; also known in medicine as synophrys) is a single eyebrow made when the eyebrows intersect in the middle. The hair that is above the bridge of your nose is the same color and thickness as your eyebrows. These two lines of hair are converged to create one continuous line.
