Why Do People Sneeze in Sunlight?
[by Chris Higgins]
Growing up in Florida, I had a weird allergy: the sun. Walking outside, coming from from a typically cool, dark indoor place, I’d invariably sneeze — sometimes twice. It happened to my father too, causing a strange family multi-sneeze spectacle whenever we’d leave a movie. For me it was just one or two sneezes, then all better. What caused this? I always assumed there was something about bright light that disagreed with my bookish, “indoor kid” nature. Apparently I was right; I learned that science indeed has an answer: this phenomenon is called the photic sneeze reflex, and according to Wikipedia it “affects 18-35% of the human population.” So my Dad and I aren’t alone.
According to Scientific American, the photic sneeze has long been a subject of curiosity, going all the way back to Aristotle. Francis Bacon even tested the phenomenon in the 17th century by stepping outside with his eyes closed — no sneeze. Hmm. So why would exposure to bright sunlight affect the nose? According to Scientific American:
You know you want to know.
