If sneezing is an involuntary act, why is the sound “ah-choo" so distinct to English (sneezing) speakers?
The reason we feel compelled to interject onomatopoeias into our sneezes is because of social pressure, just like saying “bless you." While sneezing does produce involuntary sounds, we always retain some level of control. This experience is similar to the noises we make when laughing — we can either exaggerate our laughs or reign them in, depending on what is socially acceptable.
What’s fascinating is that the sounds we utter when sneezing are different in other languages: Filipino people say “ha-ching," the French say “atchoum," and the Japanese say “hakashun." Bless you, indeed.
(h/t BBC, Image via Pascal Garcin)
