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The Sounds of the Human Body
Our reactions tell us that all are not created equal
The human body is a noisy contraption. There is almost always some kind of sound coming from it. Some of the noises are voluntary, while others are less so. What is particularly interesting to me, however, are the reactions people have to the various noises the human body makes.
Take the sneeze, for example. A person feels an itchy feeling in their nostrils. The sensation quickly builds until the person can no longer help but sneeze. Considerate people cover their faces with a tissue or handkerchief.
When the event concludes, people in the vicinity will offer words of support such as “bless you,” or the German “gesundheit.” It is the rare person who doesn’t acknowledge a well-executed sneeze by offering some sort of verbal recognition of the event.
Another sound, the cough, coming from roughly the same area of the body, doesn’t get the same reception a sneeze does. When a person coughs, people are much less likely to wish them good health or bless them, and much more likely to ask them why they are out spreading their germs. No one smiles when they hear someone cough. Instead, they tend to move away quickly.
