Four times as many people found sniffing the most irritating habit compared to nose blowing (15%) and sneezing (13%), with the 18-24 age group the biggest cause of serial sniffing irritation.
A quarter of people also admitted they disliked being next to someone who was sneezing or blowing their nose and more than one-in-five (22%) said they would actively move away from someone who was sneezing. However, a quarter of those polled, also confessed they enjoyed nothing better than a big sneeze or a “let it outer”.
SIRC also looked into sneezing and nose blowing behaviour and found that men like to blow it out while women like to keep it in. Three times as many men as women (30% vs 10%) admitted to being explosive sneezers preferring to “let it all out” rather than hold it in. While twice as many women as men confessed to being implosive or “mousey” sneezers – trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, by letting out a “small, stifled sound” such as a high pitched squeak.
Also, men sneeze louder than women, with men registering 3,35 on the sneeze-o-meter, compared to 2,94 for women (on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is very quiet and 5 is very loud).
Twice as many women as men (20% vs 10%) confessed to being a “paranoid examiner” constantly concerned about the “remnants” from their sneezing or nose blowing. It was found that almost one in five men check the contents of their handkerchiefs or tissues after sneezing or blowing – clearly curiosity not paranoia.
Finally, the research revealed that the UK is a nation of apologizers when it comes to sneezing and nose blowing. Seven out of ten (69%) of us would make a verbal comment such as “Excuse me” after sneezing and more than half (53%) instinctively making a comment such as “Bless you” when someone else sneezes.
Kleenex history
