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  • TacoNot@mander.xyz
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    1 year ago

    When I was a kid I wanted to be able to raise one eyebrow, but I couldn’t figure out how. What I did was use my hand to raise it over and over again to kind of train the muscle. Eventually I could do it without the help of my hand! Also a fun fact: I only ever did it with my left eye brow for some reason, and now that’s the only one I can move on it’s own.

  • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    It can be learned. My teacher in 6th grade would do it, so I started trying. It took a while, but eventually I was able to link up whatever was needed to activate those little eyebrow lifting muscles. I only can do it on one side, as I never bothered with the other.

    • Squander@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Same here, I learned to do it with both side. Also try curling all of your toes except your big toe and vise versa (kinda like a thumbs up with your foot). Its one of those things everyone can do, but most dont because their body is pre-wired not to. Its just mind over… well your body. Im convinced popping your pecs is also one of those mental things. Its helps to have muscles but I think everyone can do it.

      • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Can confirm that pec popping is learned. I say this goes for a lot of muscles, the butt as well. Start training the chest, butt, or whatever and at first people will talk about activation, but you won’t know how. Eventually, if you continue to train, you’ll be able to really activate those muscles during the movements in a workout, and can flex them whenever you want after that.

        I can do the pec popping, but I never aspired to do that. What really stood out for me was the butt. When starting to work out I’d always hear trainers say to use your butt to rise up out of a squat or whatever. I had no idea how to do this and no matter how much mental energy I put into it, I couldn’t do it. Then after doing enough repetitions it came to me. I can flex my butt to make standing up from a squat easier, and now that I know how I can do it whenever (not that I have much of a reason to).

        It’s all about developing those neural pathways and that mind/body connection.

    • SandLight@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      ymmv though, I think. I taught myself as a kid as well, but I’ve never gotten very good at it. I don’t have a lot of eyebrow inflection anyways so I think that’s why. Some of us will never be Spock.

  • seatwiggy@lemmy.fmhy.net
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    1 year ago

    I am not an expert by any means, but as far as I know, no. There are lots of little muscles in and around your face that most people never use, and if you’ve never used them, then you won’t know how. I’m pretty sure it’s possible to learn how to use these muscles, but I wouldn’t be able to give any advice on that part. It’s similar to how some people can wiggle their ears

    • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      So pretty sure everyone used the muscles subconsciously. It’s more many people don’t have the conscious control to move just the one muscle.

      It can be learned, though

      • vettnerk@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        Confirming this.

        I was in an accident when I was 15, severing the nerves for two of my facial muscles (levator labii superioris and zygomaticus minor, to be specific). I am now 40, and my smile is crooked because of this.

        The nerves have healed, as confirmed by various tests, but my brain has simply forgotten how to control these muscles. It’s hard to explain, but on the right side of my face I can control those muscles just fine… I just cannot translate the same action into something for the left side.

        It’s not really a disability, so I don’t really care that much, but I have considered asking my doctor if he can send me to a neurologist or something.

  • Apepollo11@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Seems that a lot of people have said something similar, but FWIW…

    I’ve been able to move my left eyebrow by itself for as long as I can remember.

    I taught myself to move the right eyebrow in 15 minutes standing in front of a mirror. This was about 20 years ago and I can still do it.

    For anyone interested, as people have said, it’s about isolating and learning the ‘instruction’ that does it. In this case, seeing as I could raise both eyebrows together, I just did that repeatedly whilst holding the left one in place with my fingers. Fifteen minutes later, and I could do it without needing the fingers.

  • owatnext@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I can raise and lower my eyebrows independently, wiggle my ears, and move my eyes independently of each other. My husband can do none of these things. Maybe they’re related abilities?

  • Mom Nom Mom@nom.mom
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    1 year ago

    I can only lift my left eyebrow well; when I lift my right, it’s more like a whole-face ordeal. But I did practice both in front of a mirror, and that’s the only reason I can lift either. There was an innate ability on the left, and much practice on the right. So, yes?

    Wiggling my ears took practice, too, but the taco-tongue thing came naturally to me.

    • Mom Nom Mom@nom.mom
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      1 year ago

      Full disclosure: I learned to lift my left eyebrow well because I wanted to be like Spock. The eyebrow lift seemed… logical.

    • Mom Nom Mom@nom.mom
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      1 year ago

      Alright, so my husband points out that I can probably reach every part of my body - including “that spot between my shoulder blades that [he] can’t reach” with either hand, or putting my fingers flat on the floor, with my hands at a 90° angle, backwards… I’m very hyper-mobile and my body moves in ways that are not normal.

  • snippyfulcrum@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I know a lot of people say it’s learned but I know I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember and as a kid I initially never did it consciously.

    I had adults get on me for ‘giving them a look’ when I was a kid but like… I wasn’t giving that look intentionally… it was just a natural reaction… I mean, usually when I thought something was stupid or it baffled/confused me in some way but I wasn’t intentionally giving ‘nasty looks’…

  • Reyali@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Personal experience, but I can only raise my left eyebrow on demand. Same with my upper lip. I cannot independently move those parts of the right side of my face no matter how I’ve tried. This has been true from childhood and I had no injuries I’m aware of that could have caused it.

    So from my experience, I’d buy that there is a physical, possibly genetic component to whether it’s possible or not.

    • AmidFuror@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I also can only raise my left eyebrow, but I learned to do it as a teen. Maybe I just got lucky and found the right nerve to trigger and am now very aware of where it is.

    • Mom Nom Mom@nom.mom
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      1 year ago

      It’s my right side upper lip for me.

      I’m glad nobody is in the room with me. I’ve gotta look ridiculous.

      ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      Edit: he came into the room just as I hit send on this one :-P

    • Narrrz@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I’m exactly the same. ihad to train myself to even raise my left eyebrow independently, though.

  • Squander@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I might be in the minority here, but was anyone else taught to move their toes independently in martial arts?