# Q-tips and coughing

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 16, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127 "2001-04-16T04:03:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![1kBR\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/dc4da7/32.png) [@1kBR\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1kBR_Kid)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127/1 "2001-04-16T04:03:02Z")

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Why do some people cough when they put a Q-tip a bit too far in their ear? Why doesn’t everyone have the same reaction?

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**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127/2 "2001-04-16T04:15:59Z")

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MAN!!! You beat me to it… I always want to ask this question like every morning when Im swabbing my ears. (I KNOOOW… dont do that). I am a cougher. A couple of chickies I know call it an eargasm and tend to get more thrills out of it. I also usually feel one ear is more closed off then the other… it switches days… similar to the way nostrals do.

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**Author:** ![Mothra\_s\_Pilot\_Car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mothra\_s\_Pilot\_Car](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mothra_s_Pilot_Car)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127/3 "2001-04-16T05:05:34Z")

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I am immune to the coughy-phenomenon, but must share the habits of one particularly odd friend, who may soon inspire another warning label on the box.

This guy sticks the Qtip up his NOSE to make himself sneeze.  
He does it more often when he has a cold, to encourage the sinusflow. (Yeick)

After Not Wanting to See for several months, i finally allowed him to demonstrate.

Dear lord, the entire THING went up the nose! I could not see the tip!

Tell _that_ to those squares who say “don’t put it inside yer ear”.

- **Mothra**

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**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127/4 "2001-04-16T06:04:13Z")

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Ack! _claws her eyes out_

[sub]I knew it was a mistake to open this thread.[/sub]

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**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-tips-and-coughing/62127/5 "2001-04-16T06:23:47Z")

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This question was asked before somewhere but I remember seeing that Cecil answered it [here](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_323.html) so there you are.