I thought everybody sneezed in bright sunlight. Really, I did, and it took me a few years and more than a few sideward glances to discover that it was an anomaly shared by me and only a quarter of the human race.
Here’s how it works. I walk out into bright sunlight and I feel an urge to sneeze coming on. I lift my face to the sun and sneeze twice. Sometimes I sneeze a couple of more times after a few minutes. It almost never fails.
I can also use this trick to force a sneeze. If I feel one coming, and want the bugger to hurry up, I can stick my face up to a bright light and get it quickly over with.
Apparently this reflex is caused by a short-circuit in the brain, where nerves excite each other due to their physical proximity. It is called “photic sneeze reflex” which I think you will agree is an excellent name for an experimental electronic band.
It’s a condition that has been sparsely studied, since it’s pretty much harmless. However all researchers can agree on one thing – that this odd genetic condition, as a rule, is connected with vastly improved sexual stamina and prowess (and hunkiness in general).
Just so you know.
/ paddy
22 Comments
When I noticed my three week old sneezing at bright light like I do, I knew then she was my daughter. It had been slightly in doubt because of all the travelling I was doing around when she was concieved :)
Cheaper than a blood test, that’s for sure!
Solar Sneeze. Otherwise known as Solar Allergy. Proves you are an alien. Or a new-breed vampire. Oh, and there are as much as 25 percent of everybody like you out there. What, conspiracy theory? You have already taken over.
cheers/Rolf
A nasal vampire? There’s a whole trilogy in that one.
Jag visste inte att vi var så få… jag funkar likadant. Tycker det är rätt praktiskt, om man nu är på väg att nysa och vill påskynda det lite. Starka lampor funkar också för mig.
Så vi är lite sexigare än alla andra, sa du? Fast det visste jag ju redan.
Indeed, the sexiness and sneezing genes are linked, as I’m sure any geneticist will confirm.
Haha, you dog!
Trying to show off your preference to be a little tanned, AND your sexual prowess? Watch out for the horny bloggers!
Tanned? Ugh. Tanned people are like fruit in a… uum… analogy breakdown…
Giggles.
I sneeze from chocolate. Not every time, but quite often. It also happens to my mother so I believe it was inherited!
Could be an allergy to chocolate. Seriously, that’s what the internets are telling me.
Hey check THIS out:
“People are known to sneeze during the initial phases of sexual arousal. Others will walk out of a dark building into brilliant sunshine and sneeze. This is sometimes called a sun allergy, but it is more likely to be a response to the pleasure they experience from the warmth and light of the sun. The pleasurable effects of bright light have been well documented to improve both mood and productivity.”
From a reflexology site. Fucking new-age idiots.
Btw, another thing to sneeze for:
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/varlden/irlandskhet-till-salu-1.1130796
The irish government intends to sell certificates of irish descent to those who are not irish enough to get a real citizenship. They expect that to be enough to help the irish economy.
cheers/Rolf
Perhaps they would like a little more Irish in them..?
Now you have explained my hyperactive sneezing and sexing all in one post. Very impressive!
Another one! The solar sneezers are drawn to me, like moths to a moth condo.
My husband is of Swedish descent and he suffers from sun allergy. Thanks Scandinavian DNAs. He does not sneeze under the sun though. Damn!
New commenter! Welcome subWOW. So, he has a sun allergy? What is that exactly? Not a skin-bursting-into-flames-in-sunlight allergy? Because I could tell you what THAT is.
Judging by your comment, I assume that you are not aware of those Twilight Sparkly vampires. Nope. My husband is not a vampire from True Blood, unfortunately. *sigh* Plain old very-un-sexy allergy. I thought a lot of people suffer the same ailment where you are now? (I was stalking Shawn and found your website. Blame it on her)
subWOW: I am avoiding Twilight with every fiber of my being. And no, I’ve never heard of that sun allergy. What happens exactly?
There’s a good podcast of this which I see you put on when you were in Australia, and still up here:
http://www.mrscienceshow.com/2010/08/ep-135-why-do-i-sneeze-at-sun.html
Expert Louis Ptacek claims only about 10% of people are susceptible to photic sneezing, which seems more probable than other percentages suggested.
He is also interested in the latency period – how long do you have to be in the dark before the reflex will again be activated when reappearing into bright sun ? I’m not sure about the answer even for myself…
I’ve never paid much attention to the latency period, but I KNOW it’s happened with less than 20 minutes interval a couple of times. Rather like sex. Heh heh.
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