I’ve always been able to raise my left eyebrow. No squinting or additional effort required. Just zoop, and up it goes. Maybe ten years ago, I decided it would be fun to do the same with my right eyebrow; I sat around for a few hours and focused closely on which muscles were working on the left side, and tried to isolate them on the right. I progressed from nothing to occasional twitches to a very weak pull to a full-fledged raised eyebrow (again without squinting) in a couple of weeks. I’m currently working on the same idea with my ears; I can wiggle the right strongly, but the left only weakly, so far.
I think the ability to recognize and isolate these specific muscles is close to an inborn talent. It’s something I’ve always been able to do, with effort and practice, while people around me are utterly stymied.
If it helps you, the method I found most useful was to raise both eyebrows, and then relax the right to leave the left one up. Then I’d reverse the process and attempt to relax the left muscles, because those were the ones I could most clearly identify. It was by elimination rather than direct effort that I narrowed down exactly what was happening, and reinforced the action.
But like I said, though, I can’t guarantee this will work.
Interesting to see many ‘right-browers’ there are. I can only seem to raise my left, but with absolutely no effect on the right eye(brow); no squinting, winking or movement whatsoever. My right eyebrow however, remains quite stationary unless the left is engaged as well.
How to: Interestingly enough, this BBC site claims one approach. It says, “to wiggle the left eyebrow, think about moving the skin on your left temple only”
I agree with the visual implications as well. I seems to me that the more discreet the raise of the eyebrow, the more scorn it would seem to imply.
I can lift my left eyebrow independently. I looked in the mirror as I did it and covered the left side of my face to see if the right side moved at all. It didn’t.
It sure feels strange to try to lift just my right eyebrow. It wouldn’t budge.
I also just realized that I can sneer lifting the right corner of my lip but not the left side. Odd. Or is it?..
Many years ago in a high school psychology class I was told that wiggling one’s ears and rolling one’s tongue are things that one is either endowed with an ability to do, or lack the ability to do. I don’t know if this is a fact, but it appears to be true.
I suspect that being able to lift one eyebrow falls in the same category.
When I was about nineteen or twenty I began making a conscious effort to lift one eyebrow or the other when I wanted to show I was particularly interested in what someone was saying. IIRC (that was close to thirty years ago) I thought it might make me seem more alert during job interviews and in similar contexts; I was conscious that I otherwise tend towards a rather passive, stoical demeanor, and may seem like I’m not paying attention when I am.
Somewhat to my surprise, I later learned that this became something of a reflexive habit, so that I sometimes do it unknowingly. It appears that I only lift my right eyebrow unconsciously. I can lift either eyebrow consciously, and find that the opposite side of my face is unaffected when I do so.
If I cross my eyes then look all the way to the left or right, the one eye stays put while the other one moves. That REALLY freaks some people out, especially when I do the Newtons Cradle thing. (you know, the swinging balls that bounce apart from the others)
Raising my left eyebrow came naturally, but I decided not too long ago that I wanted to be able to raise either independantly. All my life I could raise the left, and trying to focus on the right was difficult.
To do it I raised both eyebrows, and tried to get a feeling as to what muscles I was using to raise my right. I’d then hold down the left and “raise” both eyebrows. Since I was holding down the left, only the right would raise, and I would try to build up some muscle memory.
After a while I could raise the right just a little, and only every now and then. I think I practiced rather consistently for a couple of weeks. It helped that I happened to have my desk butted up against a mirrored wall. When I was done, I could raise either independantly. Raising both is pretty cool too, gives me that Jack Nicholson look.
Hey, is it just coincidence that I recently added the “unibrow” entry to “Follow These Instructions” site?
I still don’t know if it’s possible to train yourself to hold one eye still while looking around the room using just the other eye. The brain-software layers might be buried too deep. At least I want to hyper-uncross my eyes like Marty Feldman.
On the other hand, it’s trivial to cross just one eye, make smoke with your mouth, or develop a serious case of skull-awareness.