After All, Why Do Asians Have Slanted Eyes?

Layer Of Fat Below The Eyelid, Common In Asiatics, Protects Against The Cold And Alters The Shape Of The Eyes, Without Changing Their Size

Japanese, Koreans, and Chinese have a common anatomical characteristic: a layer of fat below the eyelid. This structure causes the skin to protrude outward, giving rise to what many call “slanted eyes.”

According to professor Robin Dunbar from the University of Oxford, this formation acts as a natural protection against cold and wind. This is because many of the ancestors of these peoples lived in extremely cold regions, such as Siberia, before migrating to areas further south.

The Shape, And Not The Size, Is What Changes

Despite appearances, it cannot be said that Oriental eyes are smaller. What changes is the shape. The more prominent eyelid covers part of the eye, creating the impression that they are smaller. The size of the eyeball remains the same — and can even be larger than that of other populations.

Actual variations in eye size occur between tropical and polar regions. According to Dunbar’s study, Africans, Indigenous Americans, and people living close to the Equator have smaller eyes. Meanwhile, Asians and Europeans, who live closer to the poles, tend to have larger eyes.

The explanation lies in luminosity. Regions with low light require larger eyeballs and enlarged retinas to better capture brightness. The study showed that the eyes of these populations can be up to 20% larger.

Brain Adaptation To The Environment

In addition to the eyes, the brain also adapts to environmental conditions. Residents of northern and southern cities have developed a larger brain area to cope with the lack of light. The largest brains analyzed in the study came from Scandinavia.

This does not indicate greater intelligence. It is merely an adaptation to the dark environment and the need to better capture visual information.

With information from Veja.

Sign up

Connect with

Access

I allow you to create an account.

When you first accessed our site using a Social Access button, we collected your public profile information shared by the Social Access provider, based on your privacy settings. We also obtained your email address to automatically create an account for you on our website. Once your account is created, you will be logged into that account.

I disagreeI agree

Notify of

new follow-up comments new responses to my comments

Label

Name*

E-mail*

Save my data for the next time I comment.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser's cookies for the next time I comment.

ONESIGNAL ID

ONESIGNAL ID

I allow you to create an account.

When you first accessed our site using a Social Access button, we collected your public profile information shared by the Social Access provider, based on your privacy settings. We also obtained your email address to automatically create an account for you on our website. Once your account is created, you will be logged into that account.

I disagreeI agree

Label

Name*

E-mail*

Save my data for the next time I comment.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser's cookies for the next time I comment.

ONESIGNAL ID

ONESIGNAL ID

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted