Why is it so hard to raise one eyebrow?

[Femptress]

I saw someone say it's surprising that someone can't raise one eyebrow, and I laughed because nobody can really do that, so nobody would ever be surprised that someone can't. Raising one eyebrow is impossibly hard to do, of course. Though I'm sure all of you know how hard it is lol.

I can only raise my left one (I get confused if I try to raise my right one ). I did practice loads though when I was a sardonic teenager

Why are you insisting it’s so hard virtually no one can do it? Is this based on your experience alone or have you conducted a widespread poll?

I can do it, other people seem to also be able to do it. However, I appreciate there is the odd person (as with anything) that can’t. Doesn’t make it representative though!

Some people don't have the needed separate control nerves to be able to lift each eyebrow individually.

Some people haven't tried it enough to train themselves to split the lifts, even when they do have the seperate control physiologically.

Some people (eg me) can only do one by itself properly.

And some people (eg me) think they can't do it until they try lifting the other eyebrow! Took me years of trying and failing on the right side before I ever thought of trying the left which worked immediately. I have no idea why I didn't.

I also have no idea why I can only spell "separate" half the time. Probably a right eyebrow vs left thing.

I can only lift them both at the same time.

But I have been trying again determinedly whilst reading these replies, and have just realised that I have been making some very odd faces whilst standing at the bus stop.

Still can't raise one at a time

I can't raise one. I've given myself a headache trying on numerous occasions.

I also can't wink my right eye only my left and can't raise my ring fingers independently of my little finger like you are supposed to do in the 'Tommy Thumb' song. As a former nursery worker the latter caused a surprising amount of amusement.

Easy. Preen.

lol raising one eyebrow is incredibly easy to do. How can you not do that? like whaaat? Am I right ladies?

Why would you need to do this?

I can't do it, despite spending much of my teens trying to train! I assume it's something like rolling your tongue - you can either do it without thinking or will never be able to. Something to do with nerves or genes or whatever (as a PP said) and fairly immutable as a result.

I taught my self to raise 1 eyebrow when I was about 8 because I had a poster of Kylie on my wall, and she was doing it!
Can't raise the other at all

I can do it with either. But I can't whistle despite trying since I was a child! Everyone else seems to be able too.
Not everyone can do anything.

I can only do one!

I have always been able to do both, found it particularly useful in meetings......

I can move both independently very easily 🤷‍♀️

everyone saying its such an easy thing to do.. well speak for yourselves cause ive never been able to do it, and i am a sad enough person to have actually practiced this often with my father teaching me
I dont agree that nobody can do this OP, because they clearly can, but i definitely agree its bloody difficult or impossible for a lot of people lol.

I think it's genetic like whether you have earlobes, or the ability to roll your tongue.(From whar I remember from biology classes back in the 70s.) My husband can lift one eyebrow at a time and I can't. One of our kids can do it and the other can't, despite trying very hard.

The fact that lots of people can do one but not the other makes me think it’s also normal if you can’t do either. Just a thing your body can do or not.
And what about curling your lip to flash your fangs? I can do the right side but not my left. The opposite to my eyebrows.

I can do both but left is easier. I did practise it a lot as a teen. It's a muscle you need to develop. I can't do the whistling through fingers or teeth thing though.

I can do both of them independently. I could always do one of them since I was tiny, & practiced until I could do the other brow (as a child). DD thinks it's very funny when I do my .

I believe that advert was done with the aid of string, however.

I can independently wiggle both of mine!

I can only do my left. Sometimes it raises of its own accord when someone's doing something questionable. It hops around like mad reading some threads on here

I can raise either eyebrow, flare my nostrils, twitch my nose and wiggle my ears

Not all at the same time though, I just tried and got funny looks from around the office

Another left eyebrow raiser here.