Blonde hair, blue eyes--many of the things we consider pretty normal are actually the opposite. A handful (or many, many more) of genetic mutations are what spontaneously created differences in us as human beings and many of the traits that we know of today are so recessive or rare that it's hard to be born with them yourself. For example, there is a blood type out there rarer than O-, the supposed universal donor. This blood type is actually more important since O- can technically come with some downsides depending on your... well, genetics. If you want to know what makes you so rare, then check out these cool genetic traits below.
Raising One Eyebrow At A TIme
You may be inclined to think that this one is something innate to all human beings. After all, there's literally an emoji for this and it's a common sign of confusion in real life and in media that rely on body language. Well, it turns out, there is evidence that only about 30% of people can raise one eyebrow at a time. Who would have thought that was a thing?
Maybe you already realized it since most people can't do this themselves, but to us 30%, we feel like our ability to do this is a universal trait among us.
Green Eyes
Eyes are a fascinating thing. They are extremely powerful organs that help us see a whole world of things that many creatures can only dream of, yet the slightest change to an eyeball can easily make someone go blind. Even more curious are our eye colors. We all started with brown eyes, but one genetic mutation led to a whole bunch of others and now we have a whole spectrum of interesting and rare colors.
Blue eyes are already pretty rare, but if you're repping those green eyes, consider yourself lucky. Only about 2% of people have this eye color and any of its variations.
Wisdom Teeth
For most of us, we have to live with the reality that we are eventually going to need work on our teeth done whether that means braces or some other type of bigger surgical procedure. And that includes wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are an extra pair of teeth that we used to use, but thousands of years of evolution have made our mouths too small to incorporate them into our daily lives.
While it's rare to not need to remove your wisdom teeth, even rarer are those who don't have any at all. And for those lucky 35%, you're paving the way for the rest of us to not have any.
Heterochromia
If you've ever met anyone with two different colored eyes, Then you've probably met someone who has heterochromia. This gebetic mutation is what causes someone to have two different colored irises in their eyes rather than one. Curiously, this genetic trait seems to be observed quite frequently in certain animals, such as the husky breed of dog that has a high probability of having one blue eye and one brown eye.
It's relatively more common in huskies than it is for humans (roughly a 15% chance to a less than 1% chance) but for those who have that trait, it's no less beautiful and mesmerizing.
Being Left-Handed
If you are left-handed, you probably already know how rare that is. It's likely you only have a couple of other left-handed friends. But just how rare is it? Turns out, it's much less common than you might think. Sure, we know that almost everyone is right-handed, but it's hard to imagine it is that rare. Apparently, though, only about 10% of people are right-handed.
You should count the lucky stars that you live in this day and age. Way back when being left-handed was equivalent to having something to do with the devil. Nowadays, we know it's just a normal variation.
Being Ambidextrous
If you thought that being left-handed was rare, just wait until you hear about this one. There are some people who are able to use both hands just as efficiently as each other. Having that level of dexterity in both hands is something that only 1% of the population is able to experience. And it certainly has its uses. We can only imagine what we could do if both our hands worked perfectly.
You can try to train yourself to use both hands like this, but unless you're truly ambidextrous, you'll never be able to do it as well as these people can.
Nostril Flaring
This one is one of the more obscure ones. After all, how many times do you do this on purpose per day? Well, flaring your nostrils, as it turns out, is one of those things that not many people can do. In fact, only about 30% of people can actually do this, whether they're making a funny face, trying to be weird, or just doing it involuntarily.
So just remember that if you can do this, then you're only one of a few people. Not that this is really a strictly necessary ability, but still good to know..
Sneezing In The Sun
You may know someone who tends to sneeze when they walk outside for the first time in a while. As it so happens, this is a totally normal response that about 20% of people seem to have. For some reason, sneezing can be triggered when suddenly exposed to a large amount of sunlight. It's unclear exactly why this happens, but what is understood is that photic sneezing is a real phenomenon.
Photic sneezing is also known by its scientific (albeit obviously purposeful) name "ACHOO" or Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helioopthalmic Outburst. If you're like us and have no idea what that means, just know that you're special.
Blue Eyes
They may not be as rare as green eyes, but they aren't any less special. Having colorful eyes is something that many people long for and the only solution is to wear colored contacts. Even then, though, only the most specialized and pricey contacts can give you the natural look of blue eyes. That being said, don't worry if you have brown eyes as these are just as beautiful and useful.
But if you are one of those people that have blue eyes, you are only one out of the 8% of people in the world who have them.
Gray Eyes
But wait. What's rarer than blue eyes and even rarer than green? Well, judging by the title of this item, you probably already know that we're talking about grey eyes. While there are many people that consider this an offshoot of blue eyes (as it probably is) this variant is even lighter and duller than blue eyes to a point where they look naturally gray. Therefore, we're counting it as seperate.
While having these eyes may mean you have the genes to pass on blue eyes, it takes a special set of circumstances to be able to end up with this shade.
Red Hair
Red hair is one of the most interesting hair colors out there. That's not to say that it's the best, but what makes it so interesting is how many different shades and variations there are. That's on top of the fact that it's nearly impossible to dye your hair to look naturally red. Therefore, many people tend to wish they have that color because it's easier to dye red hair than to dye yours to red.
You may not think that it's very rare considering the thought that Ireland and Scotland have many redheads. And while they do have the highest incidence of red hair (10% and 13% respectively with another 40% possibly carrying the gene) less than 2% of people actually have red hair.
Morton's Toe
You may have seen someone with an interesting foot trait: those people that have a second toe that's longer than their big toe have what's called Morton's toe which elongates the toe to extra-long proportions. Well, that's not exactly true. What's really happening is that the big toe has a defect in the first one that actually shortens the whole toe. This gives it the illusion that the second toe is longer when actually the big one is shorter.
As for why it's called Morton's toe, that's because of the doctor, an orthopedic surgeon named Dudley Joy Morton, who originally described the condition. You learn something new every day.
20/20 Vision
If you pride yourself in your perfect twenty-twenty vision, you may be in the minority. Studies have shown that only about 35% of people have perfect vision and don't need glasses at all. Nearsightedness and farsightedness don't exactly have a clear line of inheritance, but it seems to be more likely to occur in people who have an immediate family member with glasses. Though you might just get the problem if you strain your eyes too much.
It's possible that this may be the reason that this is so common. Because there ae so many ways to strain these sensitive organs, there may be more people that don't have perfect vision even without genetics playing a role.
Whistling
There isn't any scientific evidence to support those genetics play a role in the ability to whistle, but it turns out that it's still just as rare as some of the other genetic traits on this list. In an internet poll study, it was found that only about 14% of people consider themselves excellent whistles. And if you've ever heard those people with a hoarse whistle, you'd start to realize how true this is.
If you can whistle properly, then it seems you're one of a small population of people. that can actually do so. That being said, you can always train yourself to do better.
Freckles
Freckles are one of those things that you either love or hate. Some people who have them are embarrassed by them while others love them to death and think they are a highlight of their face. Some people even go as far as to draw on fake freckles. Whatever the case, these things are extremely rare, so if you got them and hate them, just cover them up with makeup because you are lucky they're their.
As it turns out, there's only a small portion of people who have this genetic trait. Only about 5% of people in the world are born with freckles on their faces.
Cloverleaf Tongue Shape
There are a lot of people that are able to do all sorts of tongue-folding shapes. Some can roll it into an "O" and others can do this really interesting shape that looks like a clover. This incredible feat can only be achieved by about 14% of people on this planet. While this may seem like a very small minority, there actually may be some workarounds to performing this talent.
If you try to fold your tongue in the right way with your hand, you may find that you are able to feel the muscles that can help you form this shape. With enough practice, you might realize that you are capable of doing this yourself.
Blonde Hair
This one may seem to you like a pretty popular trait. Sure, there are definitely a lot more people with dark-colored hair, but there are so many people of Arian descent and in America with blonde hair, so there's no way it can be that rare. But, as it turns out, it can. There are almost 8 billion people in the world and only 2% are naturally blonde. That's only about 155,060,000 people.
While that could be around a third of America, that's not nearly as many people as we expected. It seems that some people are just really good at hiding their roots.
Hazel Eyes
Hazel eyes are definitely one of the more interesting eye colors out there, if not for anything but it's propensity to change to a whole bunch of different colors depending on the lighting. Your hazel eyes can at times appear green, brown, a mix of both, or even a golden shade of yellow. It really is a truly fascinating genetic mutation. And if anything, it's a really good one at that.
If you're one of those people with hazel eyes, we want you to know that people like you are only reported in about 5% of cases. That's pretty darn rare.
Dimples
Dimples are pretty interesting themselves. Some people are absolutely fascinated by them. Some people think they are a really cute trait in others and will even try to make artificial dimples using certain facial equipment that probably won't actually work. Either way, we can all agree that they are interesting as they seem to have no real purpose other than aesthetics. What's more is that it's possible to have just one dimple!
We're not sure why people like them so much, but one thing is for sure: they are really popular. We guess it's good, then, that your chances of being born with dimples is about 1 in 4.
Ear Wiggling
Ear wiggling is another trick similar to tongue folding because it uses the muscles around the part of the body to move them around in ways that one normally could not. About 22% of people can wiggle an ear, but even less (about 18% of people) can wiggle both of them. This is, of course, referring to the voluntary wiggling, not how your ears move when you raise your eyebrows or smile.
We have found, though, that it's possible to gain access to this ability. It's not easy, but if you ever find yourself in a position where something is irritating your ear muscles, you might start being able to feel them on your own.
Hitchhiker's Thumb
You may not know about this one, but we have to say that this is one of the most uncomfortable things we have ever seen. Hitchhiker's thumb is a trait in some people that allows them to bend the tips of their thumbs farther back than normal when they extend them. The word comes from the thumbs-up gesture shown when trying to hitchhike in America as this is when it's most visible.
As amazing and rare as this trait is (only 32% of people have thumbs like this), we think it is one of the most uncomfortable-looking traits on this list.
Double Eyelashes
This is probably something that many people would kill for. While it would have probably been the wort in those ties where it was all the rage to pluck your eyelashes, there are some people who actually have a double row of eyelashes, making them more voluminous and dark. Imagine not having to wear false eyelashes as often unless you want those big, busty ones that pop out all the way.
This is one of the rarest traits out there. Only about 1% of people actually have a second row of eyelashes. They must feel really lucky about that.
Gleeking
You probably know what this is, but don't know it by name. This is another trick you can do with your mouth (maybe) that allows you to shoot spit from your tongue, or more specifically the salivary gland underneath it. A larger percentage of people can do this involuntarily than on command with a 35% chance compared to a 1%. That means if you find the right trigger, you may be able to experience this yourself.
We've tried it, but can't seem to do it voluntarily. We know someone who does and they taught us, but it seems only some of us can do it. Sour foods seem to make it easier.
Widow's Peak
If your hairline comes together at a point in the middle of your forehead then you have got yourself a widow's peak. These traits of hair are not always the most noticeable but for some people, it's a pretty prominent trait. This one is actually relatively common as about one in three people will be born with one. Well, maybe not born with it, since you're nearly bald as a baby, but you get the point.
For many of you, this may mean nothing at all, but sometimes the balding patterns can emphasize this trait. Either way, if you've got one of these then you're in the minority.
Tooth Gap
As it turns out, this is a pretty common trait in people. Sure, young kids with their baby teeth might be full of gaps, but we're talking about the fully grown teeth. You may not exactly notice it because some people get braces to remove them. But research has shown that upwards of 20% of people have a tooth gap. That's one in every 5! Much more common than people lead on.
You may choose to get this fixed with braces, but it can actually be quite an eye-catcher on some people. So if you're considering getting rid of it, maybe think about how unique it makes you!
Hypermobility
Hypermobility, better known as being double-joined, is a phenomenon in which a person is able to extend certain parts of their body beyond the normal range, typically with little to no pain as compared with the average person. Contrary to its name, being double-jointed does not mean that you have multiple joints in the same spot, but rather your ligaments are much more flexible to the point where they can be hyperextended.
Maybe you had a friend who would show off their bending talents to you in class. Maybe you were that friend. Either way, it's about as common as the tooth gap with a 20% of having this trait.
Vitiligo
It's possible that you have never heard of vitiligo. Even more possible is that you've never met or even seen someone with vitiligo as it affects less than 1% of the population. But what if we told you you have? Vitiligo is a non-life-threatening skin condition in which the skin began to lose melanin and develops white patches randomly on the body. Sound a little familiar? The famous king of pop Michael Jackson suffered from this disorder himself.
There are many reasons people with this disorder hate it. For one, it can lower a person's self-esteem. But we think that the unique marks given to a person by this condition are some of the coolest tattoos we've seen, and you should wear them proudly like the model Winnie Harlow.
Arched Fingerprints
Fingerprints are the key in the world of forensic science. That's because everyone has a unique set of fingerprints. If you look at them now, you'll even notice that all ten of your fingers don't necessarily have the same pattern either. That's because all fingers develop independently and can therefore have any of the eight common patterns. The rarest of those patterns is the arched pattern which occurs only 5% of the time.
Considering there are (typically) ten fingers to every person and there are 7.8 billion people in the world, 5% is an extremely low number. So if you have one, consider yourself very lucky.
Only One Dimple
Okay, so we talked about how rare it is to have dimples. Actually, a one in four chance is not all that rare. But we also said that it was possible to have only one dimple, too. And that's even rarer. To be fair, it's not the rarest thing on this list, relatively speaking, but with a 10% chance, only 1 in every 10 people will come out with only a single dimple.
So, if you thought you were pretty lucky to have even just one dimple, then you're actually kind of wrong. It would have been more likely to have two, so it might actually be a little unlucky depending on how you think of it.
Having An "X" On Your Palm
If you look at the palm of your hand, you'll see quite a number of creases. This is what palm readers use to tell your fortune as many of these lines and their possible shapes are said to be tied to your fate. Well, if you have an "X" on the palm of your hand, you're not only extremely lucky genetically, but according to palmistry, you're a lucky person in general.
Supposedly, people with the letter X will go on to live successful lives. They will be good and famous people who will be remembered after their death. Sounds good? X marks the spot!
Attached Earlobes
You may not have noticed this before, but some people actually have an earlobe that is attached to the side of their face. Maybe you yourself have this trait. For most people, the earlobe hangs down off of the ear, for less than half of the population the earlobe is little more than a flap connecting your ear to your face. Does that mean we can call it the earflap?
We can't imagine what it must feel like to have an earlobe that doesn't move around the same way. People with an attached earlobe might feel a slight tug as they move it away from their heads.
Preauricular Pit
Even rarer than that is having a hole near your ear. No, we aren't talking about the hole that leads to your eardrum and we're certainly not talking about the piercing you got last Wednesday. We're talking about a literal hole near the little flap that hangs out near the ear canal. Apparently, this is evidence that we used to have gills before we evolved. Either way, it neither functions more endangers anyone.
In fact, it kind of looks like you got a piercing there before. Although, we wouldn't recommend trying to get a piercing in there. That would just feel weird and unnatural.
Single Palmar Crease
Most people have about three creases in their hands. This, however, is when you only have a single crease running across your palm. While it may mean nothing, this has a tendency to be accompanied by other conditions such as Down syndrome, Aarskog syndrome, or fetal alcohol syndrome. Only about 1 in 30 people have a single crease across their palm, so it is quite rare indeed.
Looking at this is pretty interesting. It's simultaneously very weird looking, yet at the same time very entertaining because it looks like they just fold their hand in half wherever they take it.
Outie Belly Button
You probably have compared your belly button to someone else before. And you may have noticed that you and they share different traits. One of yours might be a hole all the way in while the other has a belly button that sticks out. Contrary to popular belief, this is not due to where the umbilical cord is cut after the birth, but rather how the scar from the cut heals.
If you are someone that has an outie, then you are one of 10% of people who have one. This basically means that you have a visible scar from your birth.
Golden Blood
No, we don't mean that someone out there has golden blood, sorry for baiting you. But this blood type definitely lives up to its name as fewer than 50 people in the whole world (that we know of) process this blood type. You may know that you can have positive or negative blood and that's due to having or having an absence of the Rh-D factor. But people with golden blood, or Rh-null, have no Rh antigens (the other ones you don't learn about) whatsoever.
This is important because even people with O- blood can still affect a person negatively if they are sensitive to certain antigens. Golden blood holders, of which only 9 of them are donors, can quite literally give anyone their blood.