Sneezing and Snorting
Every nose makes strange noises from time to time (some more than others), but do these sounds really mean something in terms of reading someone’s personality, or are they just side effects of nature, the result of too much pollen in the air or fluid in the sinuses? The answers might just surprise you. In fact, you might just find yourself taking “nose notes” on the people surrounding you.
Wah-Choo!
Everyone sneezes, of course—some folks more than others. It’s not really the number of sneezes, but the way you sneeze that tells other people a thing or two about you (aside from the fact that you have some sort of nasal irritation going on). Don’t believe this theory? Pay attention to the people in your life and how they let loose with their sneezes, and whether this physical release of the itchy nose fits their personality.
People are highly conscious of the way they sneeze, even though they can’t control when they sneeze. It’s uncommon to hear an earth-shattering sneeze from a person who’s very timid, for example.
For example, someone who’s loud and boisterous is more likely to sneeze with full force, making such a ruckus that he scares the daylights out of everyone around him. (He’s also less likely to turn his head away from whoever has the misfortune of standing in front of him.) Someone who’s fairly conservative and considerate in his day-to-day dealings will try to sneeze away from everyone else and keep the volume as low as possible. Very delicate women often have a little meow of a sneeze, while high achievers of both genders give a short, loud sneeze.
Is this the best way to determine someone’s personality? Probably not, but it sure is interesting to take note of the sneezes of the people you already know.
Oink!
In our culture, snorts are generally considered to be rude—unless you have a great reason for sounding like a pig (there aren’t many). If you’re really, truly suffering from a head cold, your spouse will probably forgive a snort.
Snorting in public is likely to disgust the people around you, making them think you know nothing about common courtesy, so try to limit your sinus exercises to the restroom, where almost anything goes.
People who snort when they laugh are generally thought of as being good natured and uninhibited. You might expect this from your little brother, but when a snort-laugh comes from a grown adult, it’s sometimes disconcerting—and embarrassing. What should you do if you accidentally snort-laugh in a meeting or during a dinner party? Well, here’s where you can use some other body language: Laugh at yourself first; if you show that you are good-natured and uninhibited, maybe that snort will have done you a favor.
So now you know that your nose is more than an ornamental decoration in the middle of your face. It’s all right to get nosy with other people’s noses; just remember that the size and shape of the nose are often given certain nonverbal attributes, even though these factors don’t change with emotion flare-ups. You’ll do well to read your coworker’s entire set of nonverbal cues before deciding that her flared nostrils are a sign of extreme anger.
