# Why Do Geeky People Often Suffer From Allergies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378 "2003-07-23T14:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/21 "2003-07-26T15:47:55Z")
## quote: ## Originally posted by Broomstick …vegetarians claiming to be “allergic” to meat… As a physician, I must say I hear this claim a lot, often as regarding meat in general, but also regarding more specific foodstuffs. In 99% of the cases, no such allergy exists. If the patient states they’re allergic to seafood or peanuts, then I worry enough about it to do a blood test looking for antibodies. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/22 "2003-07-26T15:55:41Z")
If we’re defining geeks as intellectuals, then maybe the enhanced mental abilities allow these people to sense more subtle reactions in their bodies… in short, active happy people may have allergies (okay… “sensitivities” if you’re in the camp that allergic reactions are severe) but they’re too busy being active and happy to notice. If we’re defining geeks as people with social problems… yes, these people are much easier to notice, don’t know what’s appropriate to discuss when, and probably promote any real or imagined allergies to get much-wanted attention. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/23 "2003-07-26T16:35:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Great Unwashed \* > \*\*Wow! No wonder I feel so bad. \*\* If it weren’t for my far greater than normal courage and determination I would have been dead long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/24 "2003-07-26T22:16:49Z")
Here’s a hypothesis: The rate of allergy is independent of geekosity. Willingness to report and/or seek treatment for an allergy and to admit to having allergy is less inhibited with a higher geekosity coefficient. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2003, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/25 "2003-07-26T23:07:20Z")
> [@](#): > > ## \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* \*\*quote: > > ## Originally posted by Broomstick …vegetarians claiming to be “allergic” to meat… > > As a physician, I must say I hear this claim a lot, often as regarding meat in general, but also regarding more specific foodstuffs. In 99% of the cases, no such allergy exists. If the patient states they’re allergic to seafood or peanuts, then I worry enough about it to do a blood test looking for antibodies. \*\* Really? (Jeesh, am I having the ignorance beaten out of me in this thread. ) You hear a lot of people claim to be _allergic to meat_? And do these people identify themselves with the label _vegetarian_? Because, I cannot recognise this phenomenon, sure, you meet a lot of sick people (WAG), but I meet a lot of veggies and our experiences do not coincide. (An aside: I am caused to wonder if this is a US thing, I have met American “vegetarians” who eat not only fish (even in the UK it is widely recognized that fish is a vegetable), but chicken (and, I swear, in one case _even_ “white” meat in general.) – such “vegetarians” tend to be influenced by imagined (or otherwise) health-benefits of “vegetarianism”. In my experience, in the UK, vegetarianism is primarily an ethical choice, not a health one). ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/26 "2003-07-29T15:30:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Surreal \* > \*\*I’ll look for more cites, but I did find this- > > [http://www.tsowell.com/splateta.html#N07](http://www.tsowell.com/splateta.html#N07) > > “_Allergies and other immune system disorders are much more common in people with unusual intellectual ability. A survey at a meeting of Mensa, the international society for people with very high IQs, showed that 31 percent of those present reported “severe or multiple allergies.” A Johns Hopkins University study of intellectually precocious youngsters showed that four-fifths of them were either allergic, myopic, or left-handed-- or some combination._” \*\* Note ----- people with myopia, on average, score eight points higher on IQ tests than those without myopia. Just an interesting tid bit - that’s all – ---
**Author:** ![Tigers2B1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc29f/32.png) [@Tigers2B1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tigers2B1)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/27 "2003-07-29T15:34:23Z")
A link for the myopia – IQ correlation issue – [http://psycprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00000144/](http://psycprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/archive/00000144/) ---
**Author:** ![Sejal\_Traurig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Sejal\_Traurig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sejal_Traurig)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/28 "2003-07-29T15:55:24Z")
Hmm… I’m a geek… I’ve tried escaping the title, but it seems permanently adhered to my forehead like some giant red L or something… _Sigh_ But the only allergy I have is to seafood… Specifically shellfish… Tuna and such things don’t affect me. I was told once that was because of the high concentrations of iodine in crustaceans… ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/29 "2003-07-29T17:08:11Z")
The jury is still out on my geek-ness but I certainly do suffer from hay fever and a violent cat allergy (same symptoms). In my experience there certainly is a correlation between allergies and social interaction. Picture being in a social situation and sneezing uncontrollably. You will not be the (positive) centre of attention: rather, you try to make yourself as inconspicuous as possible. Partly because the sounds of sneezing and nose-blowing are rather irritating to have to listen to, and partly because the perpetual “Oh, are you all right, can I offer you a …” gets annoying because there’s not really anything anyone can do. Often you just don’t go to the gathering in the first place because the thought of all of this, plus carrying around and then disposing of massive amounts of Kleenex, is enough to make any “fun” you may have not really worth it. If you find yourself in this situation frequently while forming your social skills, then formation of social skills may be impaired. You’re not The Real You when you’re suffering from hay fever - even though you feel okay (aside from the constant sneezing and sniffling, which for me is more annoying than painful) you cannot participate fully in conversations and you are seen as “the sneezy/sniffly one” by your peers and will be treated differently. So you will get used to surviving without being Little Ms/Mr Popular. And you may turn into a “geek” - by realizing that you can have fun in other ways, or by concluding that you will never be cool, or whatever. Plus, in my experience, I’m a miserable, angry sot when I’m dealing with hay fever/cat allergy. I’m so annoyed with my hyperactive immune system that I’m not a lot of fun to be around. ---
**Author:** ![Jodocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jodocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodocus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/30 "2003-11-05T04:28:42Z")
Here’s a theory. Because geeky people evolved better brains they did not have to depend on physical fitness as much to survive, thus they are more scrawny and more susceptible to illnesses such as allergies, poor eyesight, etc… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/31 "2003-11-05T04:50:32Z")
I have hay fever like nobody’s business. Dust, animal dander (especially horses, holy shit - if I want to ride a horse I have to pop 2-3 antihistamines beforehand or else I’m out of commission for a day) pollen, you name it, if it causes hay fever it drives me wild. It gets really, really bad. I also have a fairly nasty allergy to shellfish and I’m slightly lactose intolerant. Nuts, MSG, nitrates and suphurs all give me migraines. But I’m not at all geeky. I like the outdoors. I love playing sports. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/32 "2003-11-05T04:55:33Z")
I’m a pretty damn bright guy- I qualify for Mensa by three different measures(SAT, GMAT, WISC-R), and I have allergies- specifically hay-fever every April-May when the tree pollen is in the air. I just take Claritin, keep kleenex on hand and suck it up. However, having been associated with a bunch of geeky people in the past, I have to say that by and large, they’re all a remarkably whiny bunch of wimps when it comes to any physical problems/pain/discomfort, etc… You know… they sprain their ankle mildly and it’s a horribly debilitating injury that fucks them up for months, when in most normal people it’d put them out for maybe 2 weeks. Or they get a cold/flu, and it’s not a week or two- it’s a couple of months. Or they go exercise or do some kind of physical activity and it’s the end of the damn world. I think there’s definitely a big degree of hypochondria among the geeky set- it’s almost like toughing it out and being stoic about this kind of thing is somehow gauche among that crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/33 "2003-11-05T05:01:25Z")
I know that, even though I have a build that gives me a lot of potential as an athlete, I never participated in sports because of my allergies and asthma, and I did turn to ‘geekier’ hobbies because of this. When I grew from 5’8" to 6’4" when I was 14 and all the coaches were wanting me to join the various sports teams, I had no interest. ---
**Author:** ![Jodocus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f04885/32.png) [@Jodocus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodocus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/34 "2003-11-05T05:05:12Z")
I saw a report that children who grow up in clean environments acutally have more allergies later in life. It seems that their bodies do not learn to deal with dirt, germs, etc. While the geeks are in their nice clean homes reading comic books, and typing on the computers the jocks are out playing in the dirt where their bodies learn how to fight of the allergies. ---
**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/35 "2003-11-05T07:24:37Z")
I didn’t start getting allergies until I was in my 30s. I guess I was a dumb kid 😃 ---
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/36 "2003-11-06T00:24:50Z")
\*\*Newsflash: Allergies may be caused by lack of a cat. \*\* [http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Nov03/051103/wn03.htm](http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Nov03/051103/wn03.htm) How that ties to geeks? Who knows? Maybe parents of geeks are too centered on their genius kids to fuss with pets. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/37 "2003-11-06T06:45:48Z")
It’s a trick. For decades, we geeks and nerds have been secretly immunizing ourselves with what we just _call_ “antihistamines.” When the time comes, we will release a deadly strain of Q Fever into the gulfstream, decimating the non-nerd/geek population of the world. We’ll leave just enough “mundanes” alive to serve as laborers, and a backup food supply. ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/38 "2003-11-06T07:01:52Z")
_We’ll leave just enough “mundanes” alive to serve as laborers, and a **backup food supply**._ Hannibal, is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/39 "2003-11-06T11:22:03Z")
I have no allergies. I can name every _Star Trek_ actor. Your premise is of doubtful veracity. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378/40 "2003-11-06T11:52:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ultrafilter \* > \*\*Most likely, people with allergies tend to stay inside. \*\* I used to garden, camp, all kinds of outdoorsy stuff. Now that I have allergies, you’d better BELIEVE that I try to stay inside. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-geeky-people-often-suffer-from-allergies/190378.md?page=3)