Comment by alexpotato
1 day ago
An interesting story about the Photic Sneeze Reflex [0]:
it's one of the things that fighter pilots are screened for. The reasoning is that they can't have a pilot looking down and dark ground, look up to scan for enemy fighters and start sneezing.
Some people with the reflex can also have multiple sneezes in a row.
I find this all fascinating as:
- I have this
- I was also born with no sense of smell
> Some people with the reflex can also have multiple sneezes in a row.
I think that is unrelated to the sun-sneeze reflex though, some people that don't have that reflex can sneeze multiple times in a row, and vice-versa too.
I think I just learned that I have this! I usually sneeze when walking out of the house into the morning sun. And regardless of what makes me sneeze, it's rarely just one or two at a time.
I have this as well, and all my kids seem to as well.
Never knew that it was part of fighter pilot screening, that is interesting.
I'm the only one with the reflex in my family including parents and children.
They all think I am insane blaming the sun for my sneezes.
Do you like to eat? Or do it out of a sense of duty?
Yeah-- no kidding. When I was anosmic with COVID I couldn't eat much of anything. Food was just terrible. I still remember the soulless paste that was peanut butter. (Ugh. It was so bad...)