Why do we need eyebrows and eyelashes? The big role of small hair
Eyelashes are short hairs growing on the upper and lower eyelids. They usually have a length of 6 to 12 millimetres. The upper eyelid eyelashes are longer and there are more of them. When it comes to eyebrows, they are short hairs growing above both eye sockets. Why do people need eyelashes and eyebrows?
Why do people need eyelashes?
Women dream of having long, thick and curled lashes, however, the primal function of lashes wasn’t to beautify our faces, yet to protect. Basically, eyelashes mostly:
Reduce air flow
Eyes of all mammals are damp. Why? Because each mammal’s eye is equipped with a thin wetting film that provides protection, delivers nourishing substances and refracts light which facilitates sharp vision. Unfortunately, air flow can be the cause of increased eye wetting that makes eyes more prone to the adverse action delivered by external factors such as dust and sand. Eyelashes create a kind of shield (not so tight though) that minimises the amount of air getting to eyeballs. Their role is simply invaluable. According to some researches, mammal lashes, no matter the size of the vertebrates, always have one-third of the entire eye length.
Lock in moisture
Eyelashes maintain eye moisturisation thanks to reducing the amount of air flowing through them. Moreover, they prevent sweat and rain from getting into eyes. The proper functioning of eyelashes is possible due to their specific shape.
Filter sunlight
Too much of sunlight can be really damaging to eyes. Admittedly, lashes aren’t able to filter out the whole radiation that is harmful. After all, they can’t replace wearing sunglasses on a sunny day, yet they help shield eye from the very bright sunlight.
Warn about danger
Eyelashes work in the same way as whiskers do: they inform brain that soon an organism might face danger. The most convincing proof of this theory is the unconditioned reflex of closing eyes that appears every time when a foreign body becomes in a close contact with eyelashes.
Apart from the protective functions that lashes perform, there are also some magical powers ascribed to them. There are people who believe that when an eyelash falls out and lies on a cheek, it’s worth making a wish. No matter if this conviction is true or not, it’s better to do it. What can be taken for granted though is that the safety of an important organ like eyes depends on the short and thin hairs, which are just seemingly unimportant. Since they handle such a responsible task, their possibilities must be acknowledged.
Why do people need eyebrows?
Eyebrows fulfil a similar task to eyelashes: they are to protect eyes. The truth is, eyebrows shield eyes mostly from water. Their shape makes that the water gathering on a forehead runs down on sides instead of reaching the access to eyeballs. Yet, this isn’t the sole aim of eyebrows.
Additionally, eyebrows play a significant role in human communication. In other words, eyebrows mirror our emotions and take a shape that expresses them in an non-verbal way, no matter if this is happiness, astonishment, shock or anger. We do this unconsciously, and therefore it’s sincere. It’s also worth realising that if the reaction of eyebrows is spontaneous, the motion is rather symmetric. But, if the emotion is fake, motion our eyebrows perform is asymmetrical, thus in most cases it looks simply unnatural.
Eyelashes and eyebrows, and their impact on attractiveness
Thousands of years have passed by since women discovered that eyelashes and eyebrows have a tremendous impact on the attractiveness. When we meet someone, firstly we direct our look to the eyes of our interlocutor. It appears that the face element that attracts attention most isn’t the iris. They are eyelashes and eyebrows.
It’s not surprising, after all, long and curled lashes are recognized as pretty. For that very reason, women try to do almost everything to make lashes extended, thickened and curled. In order to obtain even better results they frequently reach for an eyelash curler, and when this tool fails them, they turn to fake extensions and even professional eyelash treatments. When it comes to shaping and doing eyebrows, this procedure enables to obtain the desired look of the hairs and boost their attractiveness.
When we think about the primal role played by eyelashes and eyebrows, it becomes a kind of funny when we realize what women do to the very hair. But going on further, hair dyeing and applying polishes to nails should also be considered as funny. After all, their primal function is exactly the same – to protect, but head and fingertips.
