Eyelid Twitching Superstitions and Myths

Millions of people suffer from eye twitching – in some it may be intermittent, brought on by a sudden increase of stress or sleeplessness. In others, it’s more pronounced and can interfere with day to day life. Regardless of which category a person falls into, there’s a goldmine of superstitions that revolve around eye twitching. In fact eye twitching ranks up there with itchy palms and hiccups as the most superstition prone condition! Each culture seems to have its own take on the deeper significance of eye twitching.

In China for instance, where superstitions and myths frequently cross over into modern living, the chief superstition seems to be that a twitch in the right eye signifies good luck, maybe a major windfall. A twitch in the left eye? Not so good. It’s a bad omen; a sign of ill luck headed your way! The entire situation seems to turn around in the case of females; for them, a twitching left eye signifies good luck while a twitching right one is a strict no no! Even among the Chinese, there seem to be as many superstitions regarding eye twitching as the sufferers themselves.

There is even a superstition based on an anatomical break down of the eye. A twitch in the lower left eyelid means you can expect to cry soon while a corresponding one in the right eyelid means good fortune is headed your way. There’s yet another one that claims a twitching eyelid means someone is gossiping about you. We think this is a pretty cool one - always good to know the exact moment when your enemies are bad mouthing you. In any case, all these mental calisthenics figuring out whether an eye twitch means you’re going to win the lottery or have the sky fall on your head, will probably give you enough stress to trigger off a whole new series of twitches!

Next to the Chinese, the Indians are the Olympic champions when it comes to superstitions. The commonly believed one here is just the opposite of the Chinese version. Here a twitching left eye is definitely a good omen, while a twitching right one is considered inauspicious.

The Nigerians go with the Chinese version. Left eye – bad. Right eye – Good.

Another superstition is a little more frightening than the above. It’s not clear where this one comes from, but according to it a twitching left eye means there’s soon going to be a death in the family. A twitching right one on the other hand means an impending birth.

To the Hawaiians, an eye twitch can either mean the arrival of a stranger, or that you’re soon going to mourn for someone.

In Cameroon and some other parts of Africa, a twitching lower eyelid means you will soon shed tears. As far as superstitions go, this one is quite scientific. Tears normally flow from the corner of the lower eyelid. Still on Africa, when the upper eyelid twitches, it’s a sure sign you’re going to meet someone you didn’t expect to see. This one’s also connected to anatomical science, it seems. Surprise and amazement are normally expressed in humans by the raising of the upper eyelids.

If you generally wear ninja costumes your twitching will be even more mysterious.

Next time, your eye twitches in its usual maddening fashion, keep your fingers crossed because something good just might be coming your way! (Be optimistic, people!)

Labels: love, twitching eyelids, yuting