Wink

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For other uses, see Wink (disambiguation).

A man winking his right eye

A wink is a facial expression made by briefly closing one or both eyes. A wink is a kind of semi-formal communication, which usually indicates shared, unspoken knowledge. It is frequently used to suggest to the receiver that they are receiving special or favoured attention.

A "naughty wink" can silently indicate a shared secret or understanding of such.

1 Cultural differences
2 Sarah Palin
3 Physiological differences
4 See also
5 References

Cultural differences

The West

In Western culture, it may be used to communicate sexual intentions, ranging from flirtation to an explicit invitation.

Latin America

In Latin American cultures, winking may also be a romantic or sexual invitation, but may also be used a casual sign of recognition or of acceptance of behavior among friends.^[1]

Asia

In many Asian countries, winking may be seen as an offensive gesture. In India, it may be viewed as an insult or an obscene sexual proposition^[1]^[2].

Africa

Nigerian adults may wink to signal children to leave the room^[2]^[1].

Sarah Palin

During the 2008 United States vice-presidential debate, Republican candidate Sarah Palin winked at the audience several times. Her behaviour was considered to be highly unusual in the context of a formal political debate and received considerable media attention. While some conservative pundits defended Palin^[3], many commentators and voters were critical of and even offended by her conduct^[4] There was also some suggestion that Palin's gestures may be seen as vulgar in China and India.

Physiological differences

Not all humans are able to wink voluntarily, and some can only wink one (usually the non-dominant) eye. Others are far better at winking one eye and find it awkward to wink the other.