# How well can you Wink? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 20, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880 "2010-08-20T15:42:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/21 "2010-08-21T21:57:52Z")
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???_ ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/22 "2010-08-21T22:35:47Z")
If there was a league for winking, I would be LeBron James. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/23 "2010-08-21T22:47:48Z")
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 \ 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! ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/24 "2010-08-22T01:43:54Z")
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. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2010, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/25 "2010-08-22T05:28:30Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > 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 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/26 "2010-08-23T00:06:42Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@PSXer](#): > > > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/27 "2010-08-23T00:12:12Z")
> [@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. Indeed. I discovered my problem when (trying to) play this game. I could only kill people on my left. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/28 "2010-08-23T03:16:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880/29 "2010-08-23T13:01:14Z")
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. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-well-can-you-wink/550880.md?page=1)