Comments on: Comments on 6525

Post number 6525

hijinx — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 09:22:01 -0800

Did you sneeze before breakfast this morning? Well, expect some exciting news... this according to a page of sneezing folklore. (I might add that sneezing feels mighty nice.)

By: kindall

kindall — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 13:45:26 -0800

If by "feels mighty nice" you really mean "feels like your sinuses are being turned inside out and extracted through your nostrils," then I agree completely. Sneezing does feel mighty nice.

By: ttrendel

ttrendel — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 14:25:54 -0800

This definitely has me more excited about my hay fever.

By: mac

mac — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 14:29:01 -0800

hijinx: Bless you. (Sorry, but it had to be said.)

By: Jeanne

Jeanne — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 14:49:13 -0800

One piece of folklore that I didn't see there: in Japan, when you sneeze, it's supposed to mean that someone is talking about you.

By: gimli

gimli — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 15:01:32 -0800

Apparently, I'm very lucky and I need to buy a bigger mailbox. Either that or I have allergies.

By: sudama

sudama — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 19:23:06 -0800

Bright light makes me sneeze.

By: Lirp

Lirp — Fri, 23 Mar 2001 21:31:29 -0800

Bright light makes me sneeze. Ditto. I never really thought about it, but between MF and Google, well, I guess I can't avoid learning something today. :) So, sneezing in response to sunlight is known as Photic Sneezing, and seems to be caused either by the eyes going all squinty and releasing tears into the nasal cavity, or by associated optical and nasal fibers in the mid-brain. The impulses traveling up the optic nerve trigger a "sympathetic discharge" causing the sneeze. (The nerve one is the more popular/likely explanation.) Furthermore, "the number of sneezes was usually 2 or 3, but could be as many as 43." Neat.