Eyebrow flash


The eyebrow flash is an unconscious social signal, wherein a person, wishing to approach another whom they recognize and are preparing for social contact, raises their eyebrows for approximately one-fifth of a second. People generally return an eyebrow flash, unless it was given by someone whom they do not know, or someone who looks away immediately after. The message must be interpreted in context. Psychologists and sociologists say that eyebrow raising can be a reaction to fear or surprise.

Measurement

Grammer et al. define an eyebrow flash as a contraction of the inner brow raiser muscle and the outer brow raiser muscle as defined by the Facial Action Coding System. An eyebrow flash is subdivided into three time intervals: the onset, the apex, and the offset.

Cross-cultural studies

A study conducted in 1987 recorded approximately 67 hours of unstaged social interactions conducted by 255 individuals from three locations: Western New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Upper Orinoco. The study found significant differences in the age and sex of senders and receivers among the populations studied; for instance, Eipo men from Western New Guinea were more likely to be senders, while Trobriand men from Papua New Guinea were more likely to be receivers. Across all three cultures, a lowering of the eyelids or a head movement often coincided with the beginning of an eyebrow flash. Additionally, people from all three cultures exhibited longer-duration eyebrow flashes at the openings of conversations than during conversations.