There’s A Scientific Reason You Pull That Weird Face When You Apply Mascara

It’s a habit as old as mascara itself. As soon as we get that goopy wand anywhere near our faces, suddenly our jaw goes slack, our mouths open and we look a bit dopey.

We’ve even made a concerted effort not to do it, but anytime we head north towards our lashes, we automatically pull that bizarre old face. And we’re not the only ones, we’ve seen our besties do it too.

So what gives?

Well according to Rockefeller University neuroscientist Zeeshan Ozair it’s all down to three nerves in your face that work in tandem to give you that weird look.

He explains to Mental Floss “The trigeminal nerve controls the movement of muscles of mastication, which open and close your jaw. Two other nerves, the facial nerve and the oculomotor nerve, together control the movement of eyeballs and eyelids.”

He then explains that in some people, connections develop between these three nerves and “as a consequence of these collaterals, when one nerve is activated, the other is as well.”

Basically? It’s science, girl. Don’t try and fight it.

• Beauty
• mascara