# Shocked intake of breath - culture/language specific, or universal?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocked-intake-of-breath-culture-language-specific-or-universal/754757>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 14, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocked-intake-of-breath-culture-language-specific-or-universal/754757 "2016-05-14T14:42:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocked-intake-of-breath-culture-language-specific-or-universal/754757/1 "2016-05-14T14:42:57Z")

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I’m talking about the sharp intake of breath in surprise that’s common and almost a cliche in fiction, when someone drops a metaphorical bombshell in front of others… Is this universal to all humans, or only specific to some cultures? If it’s universal, I wonder why?

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shocked-intake-of-breath-culture-language-specific-or-universal/754757/2 "2016-05-14T20:07:07Z")

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Seems like it would be an evolutionary advantage – gathering air in anticipation of either fight or flight, which are likely reactions to something surprising.

As such, it’s probably common to all humans, regardless of culture.