How well can you Wink?

[notfrommensa]

I can wink with both eyes, although I wink better with my left eye than my right eye.

Winking my right involves curling the right part of mouth up and my right cheek. I don't need to do this when winking with my right eye.

I don't know if there is a correlation, but I am right handed.

Wait for poll

[Ogre]

I do the mouth and cheek thing on both sides, but only when giving the "fast wink". Either side, I can wink so fast that it barely looks like a twitch.

[Mr. Accident]

I can wink with either without effort. I could even wink them in time with music, if I had any sense of rhythm.

For what it's worth, I can also wiggle my ears and twitch my nose.

[kayaker]

Ambidextrous winker here. I've always assumed it was the reason for me getting laid as often as I do.

[SeaDragonTattoo]

I'm right handed, but have to use a little more effort for the right eye. Left eye, I can wink it with no other face muscles. Weird.

[tdn]

I'm right handed, but have to use a little more effort for the right eye. Left eye, I can wink it with no other face muscles. Weird.

Me too, and I determined years ago that I'm left-eyed.

Of course, I can wink effortlessly with both eyes simultaneously.

[Khadaji]

Both eyes, little effort.

As an aside, I like a woman who can give a saucy wink, it can be very sexy.

[corkboard]

Left eye easily, right eye with a little effort, but after winking with my right eye a number of times in succession, I can do it just as easily as I can with my left. I guess my left eye just gets more practice, not that I do it frequently. Right-handed.

My mother can close either eyelid independently without involving the rest of her facial muscles. It's sort of funny.

[AClockworkMelon]

Whenever I try to wink I wind up blinking. >.<

[PSXer]

I can wink both eyes and it never occurred to me that someone might not be able to

[gurujulp]

I can wink both easily, but the right eye is a *tiny* bit more difficult. Still, very easy.
Chose the first option.

[Heart of Dorkness]

Right handed, and I can wink very easily with either eye. I do usually wink with my right eye though.

I can also do this:

My mother can close either eyelid independently without involving the rest of her facial muscles. It's sort of funny.

...and I can raise either eyebrow with equal ease, either with or without simultaneously lowering the other brow. Unlike with winking, I usually raise my left brow. What's really entertaining is when I alternate them up and down really quickly:

_ ^
^ _
_ ^
^ _

Sigh. I can't do it justice.

[psychobunny]

Thanks for once again pointing out my inadequacy. I have been traumatized ever since childhood by my inability to wink. I wasn't able to play that game where you sit in a circle and the "killer" winks to "kill" somebody. I spent my life ostracized by my disability. Do you know what it's like to never be able to give a reassuring wink across a room, to never send a flirtatious wink to a cute stranger.....*sobs*.....

P-bun (It doesn't count if you can only do both eyes simultaneously-right?) ;)

[zweisamkeit]

Oh my god there are two others (as of this typing) who can't wink at all! I'M NOT ALONE!

:: sobs in relief ::

I can try reeeeeeally hard and I may get one eye a bit open while the other is shut, but I'll look like I'm totally hammered.

[Serenata67]

I play both sides of the field... maybe that has something to do with being able to wink at the hot guy on my right and the hot girl on my left...

[Tethered Kite]

Not very well, unfortunately. So many missed opportunities.

If I grotesquely screw my face up I can manage a wink with my right eye but that seems to defeat the whole purpose somehow.

[Suburban Plankton]

Until opening this thread, I was not aware that there were people who could not wink easily with either eye.

[Der Trihs]

I can wink both eyes and it never occurred to me that someone might not be able to
Same here; this poll was the first I'd heard that some people can't. It's not like it comes up in conversation much...

[Markxxx]

We interrupt this thread for a comedy flashback...

From the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (radio)

Gracie) It's not his fault Blanche. All the women just love George
Blanche) Gracie!
Gracie) It's true, the other day we were at the beach and George was in his swim trunks and every girl he passed gave him the double wink
Blanche) The double wink?
Gracie) Yes they closed both eyes

And now back to your regularly scheduled thread

[foolsguinea]

I can wink either side easily assuming I put the cheek into it. Doing it without contracting most of that side of the face, otoh, I have to think about.

:tests:

I see what the OP means. I may be right-eyed, thus finding it easier to keep that eye wider open alone.

[Ulf the Unwashed]

Left eye easy, right eye uses extra muscles, but still pretty straightforward.

Right-handed.

Also, I can sneer by raising my upper lip, but only so it goes up on the left side. I seem to completely lack the musculature needed to do this on the right side. Hmm. Correlation? Coincidence? Or both???

[Superhal]

If there was a league for winking, I would be LeBron James.

[Taomist]

I wink easily with my left eye, but cannot raise my left eyebrow at all.
Stupid face!

Edit to add...I just tried raising my left eyebrow while holding my right one down <I can raise the right one alright>
Apparantly I have no muscles at all on the left side of my forehead, because I cannot even twitch the left eyebrow. Just...nothing happens, at all. It's a dead zone!
Maybe my eyebrow muscles fell into my eye, and that's why I can wink so easily with that one.
Stupid face!

[Onomatopoeia]

I can close, or blink, either eye while the other remains open. As others have stated, I've never heard of anyone not being able to wink, or having to contort their face to do so. I thought the Sarah Palin wink was a put on. Are you saying people do this because they have no choice? Strange...and kind of creepy.

Now I have known and do know people who can't raise either eyebrow, which is hilarious to watch when I ask them to try after I demonstrate. :)

I can also wiggle my ears and turn my tongue upside down.

Why yes, being able to do these things does, in fact, make me special, and yes, I would like a gold star, thank you very much. :D

[Runs With Scissors]

Until opening this thread, I was not aware that there were people who could not wink easily with either eye.

From now on ask every little kid you meet of, say, age 4-10, if they can "close just one eye."

Endless entertainment :)

[clairobscur]

I can wink both eyes and it never occurred to me that someone might not be able to
Same here; this poll was the first I'd heard that some people can't. It's not like it comes up in conversation much...


I'm not surprised that people wouldn't suspect it. I'm totally unable to blink with the right eye, regardless of the efforts (more generally, I can't close my right eye without closing too the left one). Blinking with the left eye is perfectly easy, OTOH.

[clairobscur]

Thanks for once again pointing out my inadequacy. I have been traumatized ever since childhood by my inability to wink. I wasn't able to play that game where you sit in a circle and the "killer" winks to "kill" somebody.

Indeed. I discovered my problem when (trying to) play this game. I could only kill people on my left.

[BigT]

I do the mouth thing unless I consciously try not to, and think of it as more of a half blink. I also do it if I close my eyes really, really tight.

ETA: I still can't raise either eyebrow by itself, though. When I look at people who can, it looks like they actually use a completely different muscle.

[notfrommensa]

The results thus far don't surprise me. Most people I know can wink with both eyes easily.

I cannot raise either eyebrow independently or wiggle my ears.

I can curl my tongue and roll it over.

I cannot do the Vulcan Salute with my fingers.