Why do we have eyebrows

Our ancient ancestors may have been aided in forming friendships and bonds with each other thanks to the development of mobile eyebrows in tandem with a taller skull.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, this change could have aided in giving unfamiliar groups the ability to nonverbally communicate with each other rather than immediately assuming hostility, promoting the long-term survival of the species.

April 11, pm Updated April 11, pm. Share This Article. That stops water from running directly into our eyes. How our eyebrow hairs are lined up, and the direction they grow in, also help protect our eyes from sweat , as well as from dirt, dust and water.

In fact, when dust lands on our eyebrows, we often blink automatically to get rid of the dust. Our eyebrows also shade our eyes from bright lights. The eyebrow hairs stick out from our face, which reduces the amount of sunlight entering our eyes. They reduce strain on our eye muscles and help us shut our eyelids. They also help us recognise familiar faces. And older people, like our grandparents, can have tired or droopy looking eyebrows.

Read more: Curious Kids: why do older adults get shorter? Since ancient Egyptian times, people have linked eyebrows with beauty. Men and women used to paint on dark, arched eyebrows with a black powder to show respect to Egyptian gods.

Eyebrows were also thought to give people supernatural powers! Eyelashes can also catch liquid, dust and other eye irritants.

And they may help to keep the eyes moist by limiting evaporation, according to a study in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Some conditions can cause people to lose their eyebrows or eyelashes. Alopecia , also known as patchy hair loss, can affect both. Sometimes, eyelashes fall out for unknown reasons, or a person may pluck out their lashes either because they're irritating or because of anxiety.

In other cases, people with a condition known as trichotillomania have a compulsion to pull out their hair. An underactive thyroid can cause the eyebrows to thin, and lupus may make them fall out. If you notice that your eyebrows or eyelashes are thinning, falling out or otherwise changing, see a doctor, Marioneaux recommended.

If you do decide to alter your eyebrows for cosmetic reasons beyond mascara, be careful, particularly if you're dyeing them.