# So what do they mean when they say we lose "21 grams the moment we die?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [May 30, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045 "2005-05-30T01:15:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chefIL11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chefIL11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chefIL11)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045/1 "2005-05-30T01:15:47Z")

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I just saw the movie… was very impressed.

I am trying to comprehend that quote though. Is this an actual figure? Is this 21 grams of physical matter that we lose? Was this just made up for effect?

Can someone go into depth on this? I know it’s kind of GQ related, but coming from a movie I saw it cafe society related, please feel free to move if needed.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045/2 "2005-05-30T01:17:01Z")

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Here ya go:

> **[Weight loss at the moment of death - 21 grams](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=249585)**
>
> In the movie 21 Grams it is claimed people loss 21 grams at the moment of death. Is there any truth to this? What is is the origin of this belief.?

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**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045/3 "2005-05-30T01:18:09Z")

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Or you can go straight to Snopes, which is also linked in that thread. [Claim: A physician once placed dying patients upon a scale in order to measure the weight of the human soul.](http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp)

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**Author:** ![GLWasteful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f05b48/32.png) [@GLWasteful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GLWasteful)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-do-they-mean-when-they-say-we-lose-21-grams-the-moment-we-die/306045/4 "2005-05-30T02:53:04Z")

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Whereas **I’m** wondering what to make of the fact that if we lose 21 grams upon death, then maybe this God chap is a fan of the metric system.

And here we sit, dealing with weights and measures that do not meet up to the standards approved by the Big Guy himself.