Taming the Sneeze: A Chance in a Million

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of sneezing, including personal anecdotes, humorous observations, and historical perspectives. Participants share their experiences with sneezing in various contexts, such as while eating or performing daily tasks, and explore the unexpected consequences that can arise from sneezing.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Humorous
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants describe their personal experiences with sneezing, noting the unpredictability and sometimes humorous outcomes, such as sneezing while holding food or during other activities.
  • One participant mentions a specific trigger for sneezing, such as drinking tomato juice, and reflects on the conditioning that comes with anticipating a sneeze.
  • Another shares a humorous anecdote about sneezing while brushing teeth, resulting in a mess.
  • There are playful exchanges about the coincidence of sneezing and the idea of a "zero-sum sneeze count," suggesting a lighthearted debate on sneezing occurrences.
  • Historical references are made to Pliny the Elder's belief that sneezing involved ejecting brain matter, with some participants questioning this notion and others humorously engaging with it.
  • Speculative questions are posed about the effects of sneezing in unusual scenarios, such as in space.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features a mix of personal anecdotes and humorous commentary, with no clear consensus on the nature of sneezing or its implications. Participants share differing views on historical beliefs and personal experiences without resolving these differences.

Contextual Notes

Participants express various assumptions about triggers for sneezing and the consequences of sneezing in different contexts, but these remain unresolved and are based on personal experiences rather than scientific consensus.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in humorous anecdotes about everyday experiences, the quirks of human physiology, or historical perspectives on sneezing may find this discussion engaging.

wolram
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
Messages
4,411
Reaction score
551
It starts with a tickle up the nose, then ever greater inhalations of air, your body is in spasm, you try to control it but are unable to, then comes the final cataclysmic inhalation
and the explosive exhalation, of course all this happens when you have both hands full, in my case i had a poached egg in a slotted spoon in one hand and a plate with a round of toast on it in the other, a chance in million , still holding it i hear the plate crash against the cooker, the egg is no longer in the slotted spoon but on the toast and the plate is not broken.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
wolram said:
It starts with a tickle up the nose, then ever greater inhalations of air, your body is in spasm, you try to control it but are unable to, then comes the final cataclysmic inhalation
and the explosive exhalation, of course all this happens when you have both hands full, in my case i had a poached egg in a slotted spoon in one hand and a plate with a round of toast on it in the other, a chance in million , still holding it i hear the plate crash against the cooker, the egg is no longer in the slotted spoon but on the toast and the plate is not broken.
Gesundheit. Don't sneeze with your mouth closed.
 
At the first indication I have to put down anything spillable that I might be holding. The first sip from a glass of tomato juice or vegetable juice usually brings on a sneeze. After that, I'm ok with the juice. But, it seems like there's a second or two before the sneeze comes on when I can put things down and brace myself. Of course, I'm conditioned to that by now. But, there are other times, under other circumstances, when it seems like there's no warning at all. Maybe it's because I'm just distracted by other things during those times.

Oh yeah, chocolate has the same effect as tomato juice. :)
 
My brother once had a sudden sneeze while brushing his teeth. Toothpaste foam all over the mirror...what a mess!
 
I sneezed the other day
 
What a coincidence neu I didnt sneeze the other day.I wonder if the day that you sneezed was the same day that I didnt sneeze.
 
Dadface said:
What a coincidence neu I didnt sneeze the other day.I wonder if the day that you sneezed was the same day that I didnt sneeze.

Is there a zero-sum sneeze count?
 
If you google sneezing there is a hilarous U tube clip of a sneezing Panda
 
I sneezed once while swallowing a cheese sandwich, I was blowing cheese out of my nose all day. :frown: And yes, it hurt.
 
  • #10
There so cute...until they rip your head off and eat you.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #11
Evo said:
I sneezed once while swallowing a cheese sandwich, I was blowing cheese out of my nose all day. :frown: And yes, it hurt.
My freshman college roommate told his fellow night-shift supermarket workers that he could drink a whole bottle of Tabasco sauce. On his last night, when he was on his way to uni, they challenged him and put down $10 apiece (this was in 1969, remember) to see if he could do it.

He did it, but as he has so colorfully recounted, the puking of the Tabasco, and the unfortunate re-routing of the puke through the nose were high points of that day, and not in a good way.
 
  • #12
Pliny the Elder insisted that when you sneezed, you were ejecting brain matter.
 
  • #13
Or your soul. Has anyone here sneezed during a voice-activated telephone menu?
 
  • #14
Loren Booda said:
Or your soul. Has anyone here sneezed during a voice-activated telephone menu?
Not yet. Usually when I've got a tickly nose and the light suddenly brightens. That's a trigger for the BIG ONE.
 
  • #15
What would happen if you were floating in space and you sneezed and farted at the same time?If you blew exit holes in your space suit would it put you in a spin?
 
  • #16
Gokul43201 said:
Pliny the Elder insisted that when you sneezed, you were ejecting brain matter.

Pliny was such an idiot.
 
  • #17
lisab said:
Pliny was such an idiot.
He was actually quite intelligent as a young boy. But he had terrible allergies...
 
Last edited:
  • #18
I am going to start collecting the ejected brain matter and push it back again.
 

Similar threads

Can Evolved State: Dichotomy Capture Your Imagination?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
Do Movies Teach Us Realistic Life Skills?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
11K