h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Does anyone else walk out into a sunny day and sneeze? It seems to be a genetic thing since it runs in my family (maybe all those ugly Rosgen noses ). Hey, if you do, maybe we're long lost cousins *opens arms in anticipation of heartfelt reunion*

Me too! I do that! And you know when you really want to sneeze and it just won't come - I look at a strong light (like a lightbulb) and aaaaaaatishhhoooooo!

I think the explanation is something like: the strong light makes your eyes water and the excess fluid drains down into your nasal cavity and causes an irritation so you sneeze

you must sneeze 3 time, because then it will be sunny again tomorrow.

2 sneezes; without fail; never 1 or 3; 2

Noggin

Heard a piece on the radio about this: yes it is genetic, but nobody knows why we have it (and why some people don't)

But what really fascinated me was :? the number of times that you sneeze is genetic: anywhere between one and nine have been recorded, but if your Dad does it and sneezes four times, then if you do it it will be four times too!

What a weird thing evolution is!

The number thing must be internal to the sneeze reflex. I always double sneeze when I have a cold too.

Noggin

Always three!

Alji (Member of The Guild of Wizards @ U197895)

I have been, too, lately.

But only one sneeze at a time.

i sneeze in bright lights too!
if i so much as glance at d sky i'll sneeze!

i only sneeze twice usually tho

apparently sneezing 3times (in some cultures...or mebe only the 1 strange person i knew) means ur stupid or summin (no offence to any1, but its great 4 jokes!)

omy

Sneezing because of bright light is not caused by your eyes watering and dripping into your nose. It is much too quick a reflex for that. It happens in your brain: brain sees bright light, brain sends out sneeze signal.

Wierd isn't it.

PP

*grin* I also wouldn't mind knowing why I sneeze when I pluck my eyebrows. Or why I psyche myself into hiccuping even before I get a newly opened can of pop to my mouth.

It's 2 gulps of fizzy drink then a very loud *hic* for me every time!

Isn't it just a case of brain sees bright light, bright light might damage eyes, brain sends out sneeze signal causing you to close your eyes and look away. ???

But your eyelids will colse anyway to protect you. Perhaps it's an unusual neural link up that provokes both actions at once. But then that would mean you sneeze whenever you look at a bright light?

Or even close.

I also sneeze when looking into bright light. And not just two times, I think I usually keep sneezing untill I finally look away. But feels stupid if you come out of a shop, the sun hits you straight in the eyes and you start sneezing uncontrollably.

In Germany they say you are stupid if you sneeze 3 times in a row. Which is why if I sneeze twice, my German roommates will tell me to do just one more

I get the same thing sometimes on rapid transition to very bright sunlight. I don't think artificial light has ever been strong enough to do it for me.
I'm usually 3 times, sometimes 2. However, I seem to know before I start whether it 2 will be enough.

Also, deep down I know it's only under certain particular circumstances when it happens, though I don't consciously know what those circumstances are, except maybe when the air is quite dry. Often I'll move into the sunlight, get a brief glance at the sun and though I don't sneeze then, I'll know if get a good look at the sun in the next minute or so, I *will* sneeze.

My first thought was that it's a psychosomatic link between bright sunny days and hay-fever. Just a suggestion.

I was reading a popular science mag which said that already one of the ancient greeks mentioned it. Maybe Aristoteles.