7 Surprising Facts About the Chin
The human body is an amazing thing. For each one of us, it’s the most intimate object we know. And yet most of us don’t know enough about it: its features, functions, quirks, and mysteries. Our series The Body explores human anatomy, part by part. Think of it as a mini digital encyclopedia with a dose of wow.
The humble chin, that bony protrusion at the bottom of your face, is a mysterious little body part that is a surprising source of controversy among researchers. Though popular culture derives great meaning out of how "strong" or "weak" chins are, very little science backs that up. Here, however, are seven actually scientific facts, which Mental Floss learned from experts, about the chin.
1. RESEARCHERS DISAGREE ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF A CHIN.
The most interesting thing about the chin, according to Faisal Tawwab, a family practice doctor with Multicare Physicians in Orlando, Florida, is that there is no precise answer as to why we even have one. "Prevailing theories include assistance with speech, to protect the jaw from chewing, as a way to measure attractiveness when seeking a partner, or a combination of all three," he tells Mental Floss. "Research to find the true purpose of the chin is ongoing. There are critiques around all of the current prevailing theories."
2. IT MIGHT HELP THE JAW STRESS LESS.
The chin may have evolved to protect the jaw from the unique stresses of shaping our mouths to form language, according to a 2007 study in the journal Medical Hypotheses. Your chin may help bear some of the muscle load of chewing and speaking (a valid reason to want a strong one).
3. THE CHIN IS CRITICAL TO CHEWING.
"The most important function of the chin is mastication [chewing] and lip continence," Francesco Gargano, a board certified plastic surgeon with The Plastic Surgery Center in New Jersey, tells Mental Floss. "Several muscles insert into the chin and are part of the occlusal plane," the space between your teeth when the mouth is closed. Research supports this theory, suggesting that the chin "helps buttress the jaw against certain mechanical stresses," including chewing, which produces a great deal of force.
4. CHINS MAY HAVE HELPED OUR ANCESTORS CHOOSE A MATE.
A more recent theory is that our chins helped us choose mates. "Males tend to have longer chins with a square appearance and flat base. Females tend to have narrower and rounder chins," says Gargano. A 2010 study in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology argues that there would be no difference in chin shape if it weren't related to sexual attraction because there's no functional difference; males and females ostensibly eat and talk the same way. Not everyone agrees. (See #7.)
5. WE'RE THE ONLY ANIMALS WITH CHINS.
While humans may share some things in common with animals, chins are not one of them. "Elephants are the only other creature with a body part similar to the chin," Tawwab says. But the elephant's "chin" is actually caused by a lack of lower teeth and a big lower lip. It's not a bony protrusion, which is a real chin—and a feature that's ours alone. The human chin is considered a cladistic apomorphy, Tawwab says: a feature or body part not found in the earliest forms of a clade (group of organisms sharing a common ancestor). In short, it's evidence of our species's evolution—and one of our defining physical characteristics.
6. DOES HAVING A CHIN CLEFT IMPROVE YOUR DATING PROSPECTS?
"Historically, numerous cultures have assigned meanings to being born with a cleft chin, usually pertaining to luckiness in love," Tawwab says. The reality is much more mundane. "The current theory suggests that a cleft chin is actually caused by an incomplete fusion of the jaw bones before birth." There are several types of clefts, as well: vertical furrows, Y-shaped furrows, and round dimples.
7. A CHIN MAY SIMPLY BE WHERE EVOLUTION STOPPED.
A chin may not have anything to do with withstanding pressure or attracting a mate, according to Nathan Holton, an anthropologist at the University of Iowa. His research suggests that the Homo genus (including humans, Neanderthals, and other relatives) simply evolved smaller faces—and Homo sapiens most of all. The lower jaw is the last part of the face to stop growing, which causes it to be more prominent as compared to other parts of the face. The prominent chin "is a secondary consequence of faces getting smaller," Holton writes.