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Why do you blink? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Wink – it doesn't just rhyme with blink!
Do you know the difference between a wink and a blink?
To “blink” means you close both eyes for just a very short moment. People blink a lot, usually without realizing it.
A wink is quite similar to a blink, but the difference is that a wink means you close just one eye for a quick moment instead of both! Unlike blinking, which is mostly done without thinking and for no specific reason, people who wink have usually done it on purpose. People use winking a lot as a sort of “secret signal.” For example, if someone knows a funny secret that you know too, they might wink at you so that you can enjoy the joke together!
You use your eyelids to blink, and the purpose of the eyelid is to protect the front of your eyes. Our eyes, which allow us to see, are very delicate and important to protect from dust, dirt, germs, and other things that the eyelid prevents from entering the eye.
Blinking is considered both “voluntary,” which means you can blink whenever you want to, and “involuntary,” which means you also do it without thinking about it. Can you think of something else you do regularly which is also both voluntary and involuntary? – Breathing!
In addition to being both voluntary and involuntary, blinking is also a reflex. A reflex is something you do automatically as a response to something else that has happened, like covering your head when you think something is falling from above you. Blinking is the same -- when you believe that something might be accidentally coming towards your eyes, you quickly blink them shut!
Blinking is considered both “voluntary,” which means you can blink whenever you want to, and “involuntary,” which means you also do it without thinking about it. Can you think of something else you do regularly which is also both voluntary and involuntary? – Breathing!
In addition to being both voluntary and involuntary, blinking is also a reflex. A reflex is something you do automatically as a response to something else that has happened, like covering your head when you think something is falling from above you. Blinking is the same -- when you believe that something might be accidentally coming towards your eyes, you quickly blink them shut!
Wink – it doesn't just rhyme with blink!
Do you know the difference between a wink and a blink?
To “blink” means you close both eyes for just a very short moment. People blink a lot, usually without realizing it.
A wink is quite similar to a blink, but the difference is that a wink means you close just one eye for a quick moment instead of both! Unlike blinking, which is mostly done without thinking and for no specific reason, people who wink have usually done it on purpose. People use winking a lot as a sort of “secret signal.” For example, if someone knows a funny secret that you know too, they might wink at you so that you can enjoy the joke together!