Sneezing embarassing people, why?

[StrongestSneeze]

I notice that most people(include me), especially young people and particularly girls are embarassed to sneeze in public.

Maybe when a person sneezes attract the attention of other people on him, and this may cause embarassement..especially if you had a sneeze attack or a strong sneeze.

Others instead shamless sneezes with all their power causing an incredible noise(like my father that when he sneezes she loud and scream "AAHHHHPPPOOOUUU!!!" and I hate it...because I dislike male sneezes..

Almost of girls that I know instead stifles the sneezes(and it is so irritant )or covering her facewith the hand when she did it.

What do you thinks about that?

[Guest member052]

The answer seems to be psychological. Sneezing is always embarrassing for everyone, to a degree. When you sneeze, you are being forced by your own body to do something that is loud and disruptive. Also, you can't do anything else when sneezing. It is annoying. But if someone is watching you, then you are being watched by them when you are literally not yourself. They gain some kind of voyeuristic control of the situation. Just like when watching someone undress, they are vulnerable.

Some people can just sneeze and laugh it off or not even pay attention to it. "Who cares," they think. Even if sneeze fetishists are watching them, they don't care. They have other things to worry about.

Others sneeze and it is soooo embarrassing because they were trying to be composed. It's like tripping when you are trying to walk gracefully.

I think sneezing is linked to schadenfreude. This is a psychological term I don't know how to say in Italian. Maybe you can look it up on an Italian psychology page. It means to get pleasure from another person's pain. People who are embarrassed by their own sneezing are understanding that another person could be using schadenfreude on them, so they could be getting mad at being the object of someone's pleasure because of their disadvantage. I also don't think you need a sneeze fetish to use schadenfreude for sneezing. It seems like everyone can tell that sneezing is a disadvantage. There's that famous quote which is like, "even the most dignified person must sneeze." This quote is hinting that sneezing is the opposite of dignity. Nobody wants to have their dignity taken away. But like I said above, some people don't care and just wave it off. "So what," they think. "It's just a sneeze." They can't, or don't make the connection between sneezing and disadvantage.

[StrongestSneeze]

The answer seems to be psychological. Sneezing is always embarrassing for everyone, to a degree. When you sneeze, you are being forced by your own body to do something that is loud and disruptive. Also, you can't do anything else when sneezing. It is annoying. But if someone is watching you, then you are being watched by them when you are literally not yourself. They gain some kind of voyeuristic control of the situation. Just like when watching someone undress, they are vulnerable.

Some people can just sneeze and laugh it off or not even pay attention to it. "Who cares," they think. Even if sneeze fetishists are watching them, they don't care. They have other things to worry about.

Others sneeze and it is soooo embarrassing because they were trying to be composed. It's like tripping when you are trying to walk gracefully.

I think sneezing is linked to schadenfreude. This is a psychological term I don't know how to say in Italian. Maybe you can look it up on an Italian psychology page. It means to get pleasure from another person's pain. People who are embarrassed by their own sneezing are understanding that another person could be using schadenfreude on them, so they could be getting mad at being the object of someone's pleasure because of their disadvantage. I also don't think you need a sneeze fetish to use schadenfreude for sneezing. It seems like everyone can tell that sneezing is a disadvantage. There's that famous quote which is like, "even the most dignified person must sneeze." This quote is hinting that sneezing is the opposite of dignity. Nobody wants to have their dignity taken away. But like I said above, some people don't care and just wave it off. "So what," they think. "It's just a sneeze." They can't, or don't make the connection between sneezing and disadvantage.

Thanks Doc

[Guest luv-a-sneeze]

maybe it cos people always want 2 look reli kwl n always in control but if u sneeze then the people wont think u r always in control

[count tiszula]

The answer seems to be psychological. Sneezing is always embarrassing for everyone, to a degree. When you sneeze, you are being forced by your own body to do something that is loud and disruptive. Also, you can't do anything else when sneezing. It is annoying. But if someone is watching you, then you are being watched by them when you are literally not yourself. They gain some kind of voyeuristic control of the situation. Just like when watching someone undress, they are vulnerable.

Some people can just sneeze and laugh it off or not even pay attention to it. "Who cares," they think. Even if sneeze fetishists are watching them, they don't care. They have other things to worry about.

Others sneeze and it is soooo embarrassing because they were trying to be composed. It's like tripping when you are trying to walk gracefully.

I think sneezing is linked to schadenfreude. This is a psychological term I don't know how to say in Italian. Maybe you can look it up on an Italian psychology page. It means to get pleasure from another person's pain. People who are embarrassed by their own sneezing are understanding that another person could be using schadenfreude on them, so they could be getting mad at being the object of someone's pleasure because of their disadvantage. I also don't think you need a sneeze fetish to use schadenfreude for sneezing. It seems like everyone can tell that sneezing is a disadvantage. There's that famous quote which is like, "even the most dignified person must sneeze." This quote is hinting that sneezing is the opposite of dignity. Nobody wants to have their dignity taken away. But like I said above, some people don't care and just wave it off. "So what," they think. "It's just a sneeze." They can't, or don't make the connection between sneezing and disadvantage.

You know, I really don't accept these ideas of schadenfreude and humiliation and general disadvantage. Sneezing is always embarrassing to everyone? Who? And why? Most people are so uninterested in sneezing that they don't even know they're doing it . It's like breathing. not surprisingly; people aren't humiliated by the fact they have to breathe. small children, we are told, all enjoy sneezing; why wouldn't they? It's a normal relief from irritation. And most people retain this attitude all their lives. It's only some who are conditioned to find it embarrassing. Many of us do because of the sexual aspect. Many women do because it is somehow thought to be unladylike, and I strongly suspect that this attitude is perpetuated by mothers telling their children this; ie that they should pretend to stifle because it's polite, even though it achieves nothing.

There is a reverse to this; some people actually enjoy the attention they get by sneezing loudly; you could say it's quite a good thing for a man to sneeze loudly, and most do. It goes to establish their status and masculinity.

Now it is true that there is the cliche of the collapse of dignity, the icemaiden who has to admit to vulnerability, but is this really so attractive, and is it always true? My experience is that say self-confident women, that is of course attractive women, are not embarrassed by sneezing; no one is going to criticize them: because they are so good'looking, so they just get on with it. They may dislike sneezing because they feel awful when they have colds or hay fever, but an ordinary sneeze or five is just part of life. It probably appears attractive even to non-fetishists.

Personally, although I can see the possible attractiveness of an embarrassed sneeze, it's likely to be coming from a person who is generally embarrassed, and so vulnerable. I don't want people to dislike sneezing, I want to see an uninhibited sneeze, ideally one that the sneezer obviously enjoys.

[Trillium]

My (admittedly unscientific) observation is that people who are embarrassed to sneeze in public are generally reticent and don't want to draw attention to themselves. They may be confident about themselves in some areas of their lives (in their careers, for example), but they are not confident about their physical appearance or other aspects of themselves -- they could be socially uncomfortable, for example. They simply want to blend into the woodwork when out in public, and a sneeze (unless stifled) draws attention and brings them out of their protective camouflage. Couple a shy or reticent personality with a sneeze fetish, and you have someone for whom sneezing in public is tantamount to taking their clothes off in front of strangers.

I think people of both sexes who are self-confident in most, if not all, areas of their lives are generally not embarrassed about sneezing in public (or about any other potentially embarrassing bodily function, such as burping or passing gas). The ones I've observed are not necessarily the most beautiful women or handsome men, but they are attractive because they are so self-confident. And they certainly do enjoy attention from others, and in fact most seek it out.

I do agree with the comments about the control aspect. If one is trying hard to control oneself, such as in a business meeting, sneezing would become a bit embarrassing no matter if one is shy or outgoing. For a reticent person, the embarrassment could be profound; for an outgoing person, a momentary blush, and life goes on. . . . .