It is a part of human nature. Everyone has certain characteristics or individual idiosyncrasies that make them unique to every other human being on the planet. But, have you ever wondered why individuals have specific things they do, in specific situations that they cannot control, no matter how hard they try. Why do people do the things they do?
Sneeze after Looking into the Sun
Have you ever had the urge to sneeze, but it seems to be stuck? If so, just go out and look up at the sun. For approximately a third of the population, a sneeze should soon be forthcoming. But, why is that so?
According to Scientific America, a sneeze is an irritation in the nose that is sensed by the trigeminal nerve, which happens to be close to the optic nerve. According to a popular theory, the brain essentially misfires when the optic nerve tells the pupils to constrict in order to protect the eyes from the sun. Something goes a little haywire and the trigeminal nerve also receives part of the signal and tells the brain that it’s time to sneeze.
Cry when Dicing an Onion
It never fails. Even if you try to hold your breath or plug your nose, you end up crying every time you chop up an onion. Some people swear by a burning candle nearby or leaving the faucet on, while you are dicing. But, why must you cry, every time you want to add an onion to the recipe.
It is all about the chemistry. Essentially, when cutting into an onion, you are breaking cells that emit sulfenic acids. When the natural enzymes mix with the acid, a sulfur compound is created that is volatile. When the resulting gases from the onion mix with your tears, it creates sulfuric acid, which we already know is dangerous and burns. To get rid of the acid, before it can do any harm to your eyes, your tear ducts will go into overdrive to wash away the irritant. Thus, you will cry, no matter how hard you try to do otherwise.