Brows have a lot of power. They distinguish one person\u2019s face from another, serving as a sort of signature or barcode. They distinguish male from female, and these days, have played a major role in breaking down gender barriers. They are identifiers of age. And they\u2019ve recently become a hairy canvas for makeup artists.<\/p>\n
However, until recently, much more emphasis was put on the eyes and other parts of the face. One new study has revealed that eyebrows are highly underrated when it comes to emotion. Comparing Neanderthal and modern skulls, researchers from the University of York found that the brow ridge changed over time to make for more mobile eyebrows because they are fundamental to expression.<\/p>\n
The study authors wanted to figure out why our ancestors had protruding brow ridges, and why that ridge flattened over time. The pronounced brow ridge was a permanent signal of dominance and aggression in our early ancestors and more common in men, like antlers on a stag. However, the shape of the forehead evolved to meet modern needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our sister species, the Neanderthals, were dying out, we were rapidly colonizing the globe and surviving in extreme environments,\u201d the study states. \u201cThis had a lot to do with our ability to create large social networks \u2014 we know, for example, that prehistoric modern humans avoided inbreeding and went to stay with friends in distant locations during hard times.\u201d In order to socialize successfully, they needed a more expressive face, which is where thinner eyebrows came in. A flatter forehead with movable eyebrows \u201callowed for the display of friendlier emotions which helped form social bonds between individuals,\u201d according to the study.<\/p>\n
In losing the jutting ridge, they gained greater expressivity in the face, particularly the skin over the brow bone.<\/p>\n
Since when are brows so important in social interaction? Isn\u2019t that what the mouth is for?<\/p>\n
Think about it: Unless every emotion you convey is deadpan or sarcastic, you need your eyebrows to fully express what you\u2019re feeling. What\u2019s a pout without the raise and crunch of the inside of the eyebrows? You can\u2019t be shocked without raising them. You definitely couldn\u2019t scheme without the ability to raise one. And flirting would be completely out of the question. Even \u201cpuppy dog eyes\u201d are really all about the brows.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re using them all the time to get what we want,\u201d eyebrow guru to the stars Joey Healytells Yahoo Lifestyle. \u201cIf you travel to a place and you don\u2019t speak their language, you\u2019d use your body language to communicate, and if you watched a video of yourself, you\u2019d be surprised by how much you use your eyebrows to be understood by somebody who doesn\u2019t speak the same language as you.\u201d He adds that in silent films, the actors\u2019 eyebrows were really thin and drawn on, based on their emotions. \u201cWhen there\u2019s no dialogue in a movie, eyebrows play a big part.\u201d<\/p>\n
In fact, \u201cit has been shown that people who have had Botox, which limits eyebrow movement, are less able to empathize and identify with the emotions of others,\u201d the researchers point out. \u201cI came across an article once about children on Manhattan\u2019s Upper East Side having a hard time recognizing expressions from their mothers,\u201d Healy says, insinuating Botox is to blame.<\/p>\n
However, the power of the brow has long been known among makeup mavens and Botox users.<\/p>\n
Board-certified plastic surgeon Norman Rowe of Rowe Plastic Surgery talks about motion and expression with his patients. \u201cI have patients who desire varying amounts of motion left in their brows after Botox treatment,\u201d he says. \u201cThey tell me that they are either \u2018expressive\u2019 or talk with their hands and face. I have mothers who tell me that their children won\u2019t listen to her if she doesn\u2019t speak with a little scowl.\u201d<\/p>\n
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