naure.com
Human BodySurprise 4/5Difficulty 3/5Reviewed on September 15, 2026

The muscle that tries to move human ears still activates when we try to hear something difficult.

Why it is true

The auricular posterior muscle, an evolutionary vestige, contracts when we make an effort to hear difficult sounds. Although it can no longer visibly move the ear in most people, the electrical signal is still sent by the brain.

Source: BBC

Would you rather be asked first?

This is the reading side of the site, so the answer is in the sentence above — that is the whole point of it. Test yourself works the other way round: the question comes on its own, and the fact and the explanation only appear once you have answered.

Test yourself →10-question challenge

Related facts

More in Human Body

See all →