Sneezy Sisters - Differences ??

[Guest]

This morning I had to catch a train to see a customer and whilst on the train and waiting at a station, two girls got on and sat almost opposite me. The train was reasonably full and they were lucky to get two seats together. From their physical appearance they had to be related, probably sisters but were dressed so differently. One, the older I would guess, was in a business suit under a smart coat and was carrying as well as a handbag an attache or laptop case. Her hair was tied up in plait type and she was very much ready for the city office. The other was somewhat scruffier, jeans, old trainers and a long hippy type of coat. Her hair was long and hang loose. She carried all her stuff in a carrier bag.

About five or so minutes into the journey the younger girl began to sniff and wipe her nose with her hand .. her 'sister' was reading a paper. Then suddenly, she got 'the look' and sneezed into her hand ..a stifled sort of 'chhisshhh', two more quickly followed and the older girl put down her paper and said something. The younger girl then got a scrunched up tissue from her jeans pocket and wiped her nose. About fifteen minutes later the older girl, placed her paper on her lap and from her handbag produced a white handkerchief, she unfolded it slowly and using both hands blew her nose loudly...it was heard above the trains general noise. I was obvioulsy an avid spectator. As she was about to replace it in her bag so she suddenly sneezed this time with no pre-sneeze look but managing to smother it in the cloth. She got a "Bless You" from her younger companion and from me although she wouldn't have heard it. It was far more of a head-bobbing sneeze than the other girls...

By the time I reached my stop neither girl had sneezed again but the younger one had two more pre-sneeze looks and nose wipes, no end result and the older one had a further honking blow. Whilst leaving the train and more dissapointingly the two girls I wondered .. if they were sisters why did one use tissuse and one a handkerchief ..why did one only sniff and wipe and why did one have a good honking blow ??? Weren't they brought up by same parents, where did they get their sneeze and blow attributres from .... and more generally where do we get ours from... are your sneeze and blow actions like your brothers/sisters ??

Interesting thoughts to ponder ??

[Enkidom]

Great obs Hankman, thanks so much for posting . I would imagine the main reason for the difference is basically environmental...a hankerchief is almost part of a suit, particularly when one wants to stay smart, as packets of tissues tend to spoil the line, whereas if you are just dressed casually, it's easier to just stuff some tissues in one's pockets I guess. Also if one has a business meeting one of the last things one wants is to worry about a runny nose, which means a strong blow...lol.

[The Dude]

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[Mr Sneezy]

Exceptional obs, hankman. We could start a good lengthy thread on people's opinions and obs over this.

[James]

It has struck me that there are often differences between the sneezes of family members. My wife Suzi (a cute Chinese lady) has three sisters nearly as attractive as she is, called (to give the anglicized versions of their names) Linda, Jenny and Kim. Now one of the most noticeable things about Suzi is the way she sneezes- often, very loud and explosive and very sexy. Linda and Jenny, however, have much quieter, softer sneezes, and I have never heard Kim sneeze at all.

[Guest SnzFan]

I have two friends who are sisters that I have known for about twenty years, since we were teenagers, and I have obviously had a ton of opportunities to see tham sneeze. They are both very attractive girls. The older one, in her mid-thirties, has always been a stifler. She does the "KMP!" thing, followed several seconds later by a whispered or spoken "choo". I have never seen her sneeze without stifling it. Her sister, younger by a couple of years, used to have a great, unique sneeze. She would suck in a massive gulp of air, with a shout of "AAAH!" that would make you think something horrible was about to happen (I was driving dozens of times when she sneezed, and every time I thought I was about to get hit or hit someone). She'd then start to sneeze, try to stifle it once it was halfway out, then lose control and spray the rest of it out. It sounded like "AAAH--Che-------MSPSHEW!". I loved those sneezes, but in the last five years, she has adopted the exact same sneeze as her sister, the stifle followed by the spoken "choo". Kind of odd.

J

[ajs7421]

i think genetics make for some similarities, but people (even relatives) are just different

my brother and i sneeze similarly, but i'm a 2-hand blower like my mom and he's a 1-hand blower like my dad

my wife and her sister both have sneezy fits. my wife is usually open, while her sister goes running for a tissue or handkerchief and will stifle until she can get to one. i asked her about it once, she said it's a germ-spreading issue (plus she has messy sneezes)