When I sneeze, everyone knows about it. The resulting shockwave wobbles windows, awakens sleeping animals, and sets nearby humans on edge. My partner, who sneezes like a vole hiccuping, insists I do this on purpose. I maintain that the urge to sneeze at this decibel level is irresistible. Why do some people sneeze so loudly?
Let’s establish one thing first: Sneezing is important for the body. “The nose is an air filter for the lungs,” says Mas Takashima, the chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at Houston Methodist Academic Institute. Inside our nose is a tight mesh of epithelial cells (a multipurpose cell found all over the body), tiny hairs, and thick mucus. These elements, says Takashima, “trap particulates so that the lungs can be protected.” When those particulates build up, they need to be flushed out.
While air is sucked into our lungs, our vocal cords close tightly. Once enough pressure has built up in our lungs, all the air is expelled. “It is that gush of air that’s pushing through the vocal cords that creates the sound of the sneeze,” says Takashima. The shape and “floppiness” of our vocal cords and other soft tissue at the back of the throat influence whether or not we have a quiet or booming sneeze. Lung volume also determines how much air enters and leaves our chest during a sneeze, meaning no single physical measurement will predict sneeze volume. “Some people with big lung volumes have very petite sneezes,” says Takashima.
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Can I blame my resonant throat the next time I rip space-time with a sneeze? Unfortunately, Takashima says it isn’t that simple. “There’s societal norms or cultural factors that can influence the sound of a sneeze,” he says.
