# Static Electric Shocks: Then vs. Now **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793 "2024-06-12T17:19:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/1 "2024-06-12T17:19:55Z")
I was making a comparison in another thread between various routine mild discomforts and receiving a static electric shock from e.g. a doorknob as we all have done. At which point I noticed it seems to have been many years since I’d experienced a static shock. Just my perception, or actual reality? If reality, what’s different now versus 20-50 years ago? Different climates or different interior furnishings or ??? Synthetic versus natural fiber carpets or hard floors or ??? What say you? Do you experience static shocks now? Did they used to be more or less frequent? etc. Fire away! ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/2 "2024-06-12T17:22:04Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > What say you? Do you experience static shocks now? Did they used to be more or less frequent? etc. Good observation. I don’t think I’ve been shocked in decades. Different materials in carpets? Less carpets? More humidity? I have no clue. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/3 "2024-06-12T17:27:30Z")
I assumed it was because when I got shocks, it was in Chicago. Moving to the PNW, it’s more humid and I almost never get them. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/4 "2024-06-12T17:32:26Z")
I remember getting them at home as a kid, but only because of carpets (some of them shag). No more carpets, no more shocks. I once worked running a machine that printed logos on industrial webbing for fir tie-downs, printing miles per day. I learned that in cooler weather that I need to touch a metal surface often to discharge small shocks to avoid building up to big shocks. They looked pretty cool, though, with visible tiny lightning bolts. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/5 "2024-06-12T17:38:12Z")
In winter when our house is a little dry I get a shock nearly every time I pet the cat. She doesn’t like it either. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/6 "2024-06-12T18:38:28Z")
I think that a combination of carpet material and better temperature humidity control than when we were younger has a lot to do with it. I recall my older brothers rubbing their feet across the shag carpetsing in order to build up a static charge and then releasing it on me. Bastards! ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/7 "2024-06-12T18:48:49Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > At which point I noticed it seems to have been many years since I’d experienced a static shock. Just a quick drive-by to note that, yes, I have the same experience. I’ve always lived in humid climates, but still recall the occasional shocks as a youngster. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/8 "2024-06-12T18:56:32Z")
I get static shocks in Phoenix - in the summer! ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/9 "2024-06-12T18:58:11Z")
I have noticed an uptick lately of shocks at the grocery store, particularly when I am wearing sketchers. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/10 "2024-06-12T18:58:22Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I recall my older brothers rubbing their feet across the shag carpetsing in order to build up a static charge and then releasing it on me. Bastards! Sneaking up and making it arc into the earlobe ⚡ ---
**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:** [June 13, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/11 "2024-06-13T01:32:40Z")
When I was in grade school (60 years ago!), a new wing was added onto our school. Real fancy, with carpeted classrooms. My class moved into the new wing mid-year, after Xmas vacation. Being called on to walk up and write something onto the board meant getting chalk from the metal chalk trays on the blackboards (green, actually) – that almost always gave you a sizeable shock from the metal chalk tray – even if you were careful not to touch the metal, just getting your hand close meant that a static shock would jump to your finger. Painful! But I’ve been in buildings with brand new carpeting recently, without noticing any static shocks. I think new carpeting materials, or better electrical grounding of the carpet has mostly removed this problem. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/12 "2024-06-13T02:43:22Z")
Cats still crackle, and the car frame still shocks. No more carpet static, though. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/13 "2024-06-13T03:06:51Z")
The only times I get shocked nowadays is pushing the cart at Walmart. The cart and I build up a charge, and I get zapped when I touch the door that contains the yogurt. I wonder if carpet nowadays is static-dissipative? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/14 "2024-06-13T09:15:41Z")
Back last century, it was common to see a “strap” hanging down at the back of cars, which was supposed to act as a ground and prevent people from getting static shocks from the door handles. I don’t think I have seen one for a long time nor have I had a shock from a car. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/15 "2024-06-13T10:28:28Z")
I recall reading something about how most carpet used to be “cut pile” meaning the ends of the treads were exposed to give a plushier feel. Newer, more durable, and easier to clean carpets are looped pile, meaning the ends aren’t exposed. Something about closing the circuit drastically reduces the transfer of electrons from the carpet to those walking on it. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/16 "2024-06-13T10:33:58Z")
Agree with the OP, it used to be seasonally common, but now it’s a rare event. And I absolutely _hate_ the experience. Meanwhile, my son had a game when he was a kid that would shock (using batteries) the player that lost. I played it and got zapped once, then never again. He loved the sensation. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/17 "2024-06-13T11:00:01Z")
People are less conductive now. Not enough metal in our diets and more plastic. An overall decrease in animal magnetism also. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/18 "2024-06-13T11:23:49Z")
Probably the damn gub’mint reversin’ the polararity on the magnetronical flux-thingy. You’re not gettin’ less shocks; the mind control just means you don’ notice em’s much. Desentitizin’ us all for da torture a-comin’ if’n Those People win da election. Listin up sheeple! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/19 "2024-06-13T11:30:48Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I wonder if carpet nowadays is static-dissipative? That would be my guess, at least for carpets that aren’t the cheapest ones on the market. My wife has a Honda CRV, which is not exactly top of the line for luxury. It has cloth seats, and reliably gives me a pretty bad shock every time I get out of it during the winter. I have a homemade sandblasting cabinet that I use pretty regularly. I’ve tried my damnedest to properly ground it, but there are still some circumstances in which the blasting action generates such big static discharge events that they make my arms twitch. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793/20 "2024-06-13T13:23:50Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I have a homemade sandblasting cabinet that I use pretty regularly. I’ve tried my damnedest to properly ground it, but there are still some circumstances in which the blasting action generates such big static discharge events that they make my arms twitch. My Harbor Freight made cabinet does the same thing. To make it worse I keep a bag of dessicant in the cabinet to keep the media dry. Seems that touching the cabinet around the window is what usually shocks me. I’m wondering if it’s something to do with me being electrically isolated by the rubber gloves and wearing sneakers. Maybe I need a grounding strap. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/static-electric-shocks-then-vs-now/1002793.md?page=2)