Besides serving the function of protecting the eyes from moisture; eyebrows also exist as a way to communicate socially by way of communicating emotions. We are creatures of communication. And eyebrows may also exist because there is an attractive symmetry to framing the eyes, evolution has favored eyebrows perhaps because women find men with eyebrows more attractive than men without eyebrows, and there may an unconcious evolutionary selection process for those with attractive symmetrical eyebrows. Those folk who are ‘eyebrow challenged’ simply may not fare as well in the evolutionary scheme. Hats off to them.
A link to the column is appreciated. I couldn’t find a column by Cecil on this subject, but I did find this mailbag item: What is the purpose of eyebrows?
Welcome to the SDMB, and thank you for posting your comment.
Please include a link to the appropriate column if it’s on the straight dope web site.
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A relevant column can be found on-line at the link provided by bibliophage.
Since the article is a mailbag answer, not a Straight Dope column, this thread is leaving the «Comments on Cecil’s Columns» forum and going to visit my colleague C K Dexter Haven in the «Comments on Staff Reports or Mailbag Answers» forum.
moderator, «Comments on Cecil’s Columns»
As long as we’re doing evolutionary brainstorming, Gregmaster, isn’t it also possible that the ancestors of generously eyebrowed men such as Bobby Knight, John Madden, and Frank Zappa were able to lure and catch birds, who mistook the furry eyebrows for yummy caterpillars? Bird-catching would seem to be a useful survival skill.