• PonyOfWar@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    1 year ago

    For my country (Germany): Catching a draft. Basically people believe that a light breeze from an open window will make you ill.

    • AggressivelyPassive@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      Not only colds, but you also get stiff necks! According to my mother, it’s almost instantly. Leaving two windows open makes here neck stiffer than a priest in a kindergarten, but only inside. Standing in the wind outside is perfectly fine.

    • minorsecond@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      1 year ago

      We have a similar one here in the US. People think if you go outside when it’s too cold, you’ll get sick.

      • Perfide@reddthat.com
        cake
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s not completely baseless. You can’t get sick from the cold itself, but lower core body temp does weaken your immune system until you warm up, making it easier for you to get sick if you do get exposed to something.

        • RaLiChu@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          1 year ago

          The cold, dry air during the winter can also dry out the mucus membranes in the sinuses which can make it easier for pathogens to enter the body. Again, doesn’t make you sick directly but does interfere with your body’s defense mechanisms.

      • OceanSoap@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        In the US, I hear this more when your hair is wet: “Don’t go outside, it’s cold and your hair’s wet, you’ll get sick!”

    • yads@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Also Russia and probably most eastern European countries. One of my kids will catch a cold and the first thing my mother or grandmother will ask is if they were somewhere drafty.

    • alokir@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I don’t know about that, I always get a pink eye and my sinuses start to hurt if I stay in draft for a longer period of time.