Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 2 of 10 1 2 3 4 9 10
#82428 10/02/02 09:03 AM
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
D
dxb Offline
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Yup. I sneeze in bright lights.


#82429 10/02/02 10:27 AM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
when i have the feeling i am about to sneeze, and i am almost there but not quite... then looking directly at a bright light will bring the sneeze on!

Me too. Bright lights won't make me sneeze unless there's a "tickle" already there.



#82430 10/02/02 12:34 PM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322
B
enthusiast
Offline
enthusiast
B
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 322
ditto for me - especially if I look into bright sunlight


#82431 10/02/02 01:25 PM
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 3,467
This has always been a puzzle to me. I, like many people I know, have a tendency to sneeze when going from the dark into bright sunlight. I think it's a pretty widespread response, which implies there is a genetic advantage.

I've pondered this, and wonder if it's because a sneeze peps up your olfactory senses, so that our ancestors, when going from the forest onto the plains, would be better able to smell trouble.

On the other hand, a sneeze would alert predators of your presence, which would in my view tend to be a sorta bad thing. Unless, of course, the sneeze tends to startle the predators so they jump and run.

This response is not limited to humans, by the way. Many dogs do it. The dachsunds my parents owned were particularly susceptible.





TEd
#82432 10/02/02 01:36 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
F
veteran
Offline
veteran
F
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
genetic advantage

Hmmm. I wonder if there's a connection to a yawn being kicked off in some people by going from a muggy indoors to a fresh and bracing outdoors?

A yawn brings on a forced input of air, so is actually waking you up. At least that's my excuse.


#82433 10/03/02 02:01 AM
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
M
old hand
Offline
old hand
M
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 833
jus' flingin' in my two cents' worth:

I don't sneeze in bright lights (well, sometimes I do, but not because of the bright lights! ie, not because I've moved from somewhere dark to somewhere light). The first I heard of this phenomenon, someone I knew told me her doctor had said something to her about, "You know how you sneeze when you first go outside on a sunny day?..." I said, "You do?" and I think she was surprised by this as well - we fell into the "are you crazy?" school and he was obviously one of the "doesn't everybody?" school.

Interesting how an individual's view of what is universally true/real often develops from individual experience without reference to what is true/real for others....

If you can't see the bright side, polish the dull side.

#82434 10/03/02 03:14 AM
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
B
veteran
Offline
veteran
B
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,289
In reply to:

ditto for me - especially if I look into bright sunlight


Me too.


#82435 10/03/02 10:13 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
I remember once reading that it was counted a big thing that Davy Crockett (or was it his father) could look straight at the sun and not sneeze. I seem to remember thinking, "how quaint".


#82436 10/03/02 11:19 AM
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
W
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 6,296
In reply to:

I remember once reading that it was counted a big thing that Davy Crockett (or was it his father) could
look straight at the sun and not sneeze.


...Well, bully for either of them. Pretty stupid thing to do. Leastways if you want to soundly screw up your vision.


#82437 10/03/02 11:28 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
if you want to soundly screw up your vision.

I'd say it was a right smart thang to do if you wanted to soundly screw up your vision.


Page 2 of 10 1 2 3 4 9 10

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 444 guests, and 3 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5