While the notion that “women blink more” lacks solid scientific support, it is widely believed that women tend to blink more frequently than their male counterparts, approximately twice as much. Although the exact number of blinks per minute varies, the average is thought to be around 15, occurring roughly once every four seconds. This rate may increase during periods of anxiety, apprehension, or fatigue. Additionally, Men’s Health reports that women using birth control pills blink 32 percent more frequently than those not on the pill.

The inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, Robert Kearns, conceived this groundbreaking idea after a wedding night mishap—a champagne cork flew straight into his left eye, resulting in irregular blinking patterns. Kearns later went blind and suffered a mental breakdown after years in court battling Ford and other automakers, accusing them of stealing his revolutionary design. His story was portrayed by Greg Kinnear in the 2008 film “Flash of Genius.”

The mystery of why human babies blink less frequently than adults persists. Typically, babies blink only twice or less over the course of a minute. A study reveals that as children grow older, they blink more frequently, reaching full “blink maturity” around the age of 14 or 15. One theory suggests that babies blink less because they sleep more and consequently do not need to lubricate their eyes as frequently as adults. Another theory proposes that when awake, infants are actively engaging their eyes (though not their eyelids) to absorb visual information.

Adult blink patterns in various circumstances have been extensively studied. Generally, when individuals are absorbing important information, they blink less. Conversely, under conditions of reduced information intake or stress, blinking frequency increases. For instance, Air Force pilots flying simulators over “friendly territory” blink more than when flying over “enemy territory” due to a lower volume of crucial information. Dr. John Stern, a blink research pioneer and psychology professor emeritus at Washington University in St. Louis, observed that during the 2004 presidential debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry, Bush blinked rapidly, especially when under attack. Interestingly, Kerry, who did not blink rapidly, won the debate, although the rapid blinker ultimately secured the White House.

However, exceptions exist, particularly in the case of fish, snakes, and other eyelid-less animals. Some unique creatures, like hamsters, wink by blinking only one eye at a time. In 1927, W.P. Blount published the definitive guide to blinking in the animal kingdom, titled “Studies of the Movements of the Eyelids of Animals: Blinking.” Blount’s findings include Sudanese monkeys blinking frequently, rats blinking when they sneeze, and goats blinking at intervals of 30 to 60 seconds.