# Sneezing - Always in pairs?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 28, 2000, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046 "2000-11-28T16:48:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Doubleclick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Doubleclick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubleclick)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/1 "2000-11-28T16:48:24Z")

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I’m sitting here at the office on this cold ‘soon to be winter’ days and I’m listening to people around me sniffle and sneeze.

The one thing I have noticed, is that 99% of the time, these people sneeze at least twice. (Ah-chew…Ah-chew) If they sneeze again after a brief pause, it is still a ‘pair-o-sneezes’.

Is there a reason for this?

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**Author:** ![c\_goat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@c\_goat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/c_goat)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/2 "2000-11-28T16:55:26Z")

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My record for consecutive sneezes is 11. Damn heating system has so much dust and the duct is right over my head.

I’ve had a few instances with a single sneeze, but you’re right it’s always at least two.

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**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/3 "2000-11-28T16:57:27Z")

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My father was known as a kid as “seven sneeze Curwin”…

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**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/4 "2000-11-28T21:05:18Z")

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My little sister always sneezes three time, while I almost always sneeze just once. Perhaps there is a law of conservation of sneezes.

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**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/5 "2000-11-28T21:10:13Z")

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Me too - I can’t sneeze just once. It always happens usually twice but sometimes three times, NEVER once.

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**Author:** ![Wild\_Card](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba9def/32.png) [@Wild\_Card](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wild_Card)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/6 "2000-11-28T21:22:29Z")

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Mine usually come in 3’s, FWIW

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**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\
**Post date:** [November 28, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneezing-always-in-pairs/43046/7 "2000-11-28T21:54:37Z")

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Well, the purpose of the sneeze is to open up the nose passage, right? So it just makes sense to sneeze more than once. Do it twice now and you won’t have to do it twice later.

You single-sneezers are just a rung lower on the evolutionary ladder. The triple-sneezers just took a good thing too far. Seven sneeze Curwin…