Does everyone blink at roughly the same rate?

Does everyone blink at roughly the same rate?

Blink 182 times an hour?


Asked by: Focus

No. The average adult blinks once every two to 10 seconds, but babies only blink once or twice a minute. Our blink rates (primarily controlled by the 'blinking centre' in the brain) are affected by tiredness and also by disease. Tourette's syndrome, for example, is characterised by excessive blinking, while Parkinson's disease leads to a reduced rate.

Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.

© Getty Images