Is sniffing considered rude?

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My friend told me that when I sniffed, a woman looked at me. My friend then said that sniffing is rude. I do know what's considered rude and what isn't, but I never knew that sniffing was supposed to be rude, because people sniff all the time. She said to always have a tissue on me, but it's awkward to keep on getting a tissue out every time I feel a slight discomfort in my nose.
I have problems with my sinuses, and so I build up a lot of stuff up my nose, which makes me sniff a lot. But I can't get rid of it by a tissue, because it's too far up to blow out, and I only have to sniff to kind of clear my sinuses and help me breathe better, otherwise it all gets caught in my throat. I really cannot help sniffing, and I don't do it really loud either. My friend annoyed me when she said this, because now she's took to telling me not to sniff. She doesn't seem to understand that I suffer with sinus problems.

Do you think sniffing is rude?

Yes, it can be considered rude. Not severely so; just somewhat distracting, and I suppose a reminder of bodily functions (NTs often find bodily functions disgusting and don't like to be reminded of them). The tissue thing is a good idea; or you can carry a handkerchief.

...I have to admit, though, that I have a bad habit of wiping my nose on the inside of my shirt (where it won't show)... Don't get into that habit, but it does work in a pinch.

Oh, I thought you meant sniffing like smelling.

I smell a lot of things, more than is really natural. So sometimes I'll get a whiff of something really interesting and do a little sniffing around. I'm a bit like a bloodhound in that way.

People around me then worry that I'm smelling something bad on them. I'm always like "no, it's not you, something else."

Or I'll actually smell a person and it's even worse. I have to assure them that I'm smelling something delightful otherwise I wouldn't be investigating further.

So weird how people are sometimes.

Yes, I think people do consider sniffling to be rude. That being said, I still do it sometimes, and I figure people just have to deal with it. I get terrible sinus infections that last a long time. Sometimes it doesn't matter how frequent or how hard I attempt to clear my nose privately by blowing it, it just doesn't running or being otherwise sniffly. So, I either have it run all over my face, or I make the occasional sniffling sound. I choose: sniffle. If they don't like it, they are free to move away from me (goodness knows, I move away from a lot of people who are doing just as equally annoying things too)

It's funny because NTs sneeze and cough all the time, and nobody reacts. Yesterday I literally had somebody sneezing all over me on the bus, and I felt a little uncomfortable by it. But I didn't look round at them because nobody else looked too bothered. When somebody is coughing, people just ignore them and act as though it's more acceptable than sniffing. Can't make that one out.

And coughing and sneezing spreads germs more than anything else!

I don't think sniffing is rude particularly.

But it's one of those noises that drives me nuts when I hear it.

Sorry.

Please do not sniff around me in an environment that I cannot leave quickly to put distance between me and THAT noise.
I may not be able to control my reaction.

I always carry an MP3 player on buses with me. That's where you are most likely to come across a sniffathon! I have never been told sniffing is rude, but I think people don't like it. I often exchange a more... shouty... Tourette tic for a sniff or a cough but the looks I get I might as well have shouted the f-word instead!

What if you can't help it? Then surely that's not rude?

You'd think that wouldn't you. But even when I whip out the old Tourettes alert card, people still think I am just misbehaving or being rude when I sniff, cough, shout etc. I think some people wouldn't even care if the sniffer had a terminal illness, it just sucks that their half hour bus journey is getting disrupted by a rude sniffer...

Sometimes people use sniffing as a communication to show that they are repulsed or at least displeased with something. The woman who looked at you funny might have thought you were sniffing at her (displeased or repulsed by her). When you get out a tissue, that makes it clear that you are sniffing because of your nose and not because you are judgemental.

Sniffing other people, yourself overtly and most things in public is considered rude.

I have noticed that anything people don't like they considered rude. Sometimes you cannot help it. If you have a cold, I suppose you are to stay home.

If you cry and have a runny nose, run home or stay in some private spot until your nose is done running.

I guess people with sinus problems are to stay home too.

What if your nose is running because you are cold? Leave?


But if you are going around sniffing other people, that might be rude because can you imagine a stranger coming up to you and smelling you? I used to sniff people all the time because I wanted to see what they smelled like. Then I stopped doing it. Only people I sniff now is my baby and myself. I think it be weird if I all of a sudden sniffed someone at work or at my inlaws. But as a child I had no sense of what was weird and now anything that is out of the ordinary is weird. That is how I spot "weird."

Perhaps that lady looked at you because she had just said something stupid right before you sniffed. Sniffing isn't rude in and of itself, but like anything else, it depends on the context.

In that cat world, we each sniff each others butt to see if our pal is functioning all right!


I believe the word you are looking for is sniffling. Notice the added 'L'. As said, I agree it is just the reminder of bodily fluids that bother the other people.

Sniffling is one of those weird sounds that people are either hyperaware of, or capable of tuning out. My mom referred to it as "sucking snot" and both of us are irritated by the sound. Some noises just really annoy people, and since I have sinus problems, I've developed several rituals for discreetly blowing my nose when there's a sudden temperature shift (like walking into a warm place during a cold winter day). There are a good number of noises that irritate me, and I usually either grind my teeth until they stop, or find some excuse to remove myself from the source.

Then when I spent some time in Japan, blowing your nose in public is considered rude (it's more of a cultural thing there). Which meant if I went into a restaurant, my first stop was the restroom to blow my nose. Then I would eat something "hot" (like tobasco sauce on rice or an appetizer) to clear out my sinuses, and excuse myself to go to the restroom to blow my nose again before the main course arrived. It may seem like a lot of work, but having clear passageways to enjoy the taste of a meal without annoying myself or my dinner companions is a ritual that takes only takes a few minutes, so it's worth it to me.

The reality is, while it's not rude, it's a sound that can irritate certain individuals to the point of distraction.



In a perfect world, yes. Logically, the only public places you should find people with a cold is a pharmacy, even if this society promotes spreading viruses to your coworkers and classmates instead of taking a sick day.

I personally think so. I get infuriated when I hear the sound; it's probably the worst sound in the world. I tend to look at people when they do it. It's horrible. Hate it.