Take Ten :: Ten Things that are Physically Impossible to Do

Ten Things that are Physically Impossible to Do

By OFW editor: Renée Miller

Published: June 21, 2013

Sometimes I'll be reading a book and the characters do something that makes me pause. Then I'm all "Seriously? No one can do that." Then I Google it to find out. Do you want your readers to pause and visit Google? No, you don't. Once they get there, all hope is lost. Google is a black pit of time-wasting, I tell you. So I've gathered a list of physically impossible things for humans, because I don't want my readers leaving me before the last page. And yes, I totally expect a few disagreements. What matters in the end is that I know I'm right.

1. Move your leg in a clockwise circle and simultaneously draw a "6" with your hand.

And you’re so trying it right now, aren’t you? Your leg will change direction every time you try.

2. Place your hand palm down on a flat surface, and raise it up on so just your fingertips touch the surface. Now, curl your middle finger under and try to raise your ring finger.

Can’t do it, huh? Stop lying, I know you can’t.

3. Sneeze with your eyes open.

They close every time. I think it's the body's way of preventing your eyeballs from blasting out of their sockets. Of course, that's a completely unscientific hypothesis.

4. Tickle yourself.

This has been proven scientifically. Basically, your brain predicts the sensation and cancels the response. I’m just wondering who’d want to tickle themselves. It’s kind of annoying enough when other people do it.

5. Hiss/laugh/spit/sigh/growl a sentence.

Neither can your characters, you hear me?

6. Jump vertically higher than half your height.

Unless you have freakishly long legs or superpowers.

7. Stop a blush.

Trust me, this Irish lass has tried many times.

8. Count your strands of hair.

Unless you’re like…baldish. Otherwise, people with a full head of hair cannot count them all. But feel free to try.

9. Say any letter of the alphabet without opening your lips.

A kid pointed this out to me. She’s right.

10. Resist trying at least half of these things to prove me wrong.

18 Comments

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Daisy Grainger
Monday, 18 Mar 2013 04:25 PM via Facebook

I'm a ventriloquist so 9. is easy and 1 2 and 5 aren't impossible ;)

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Anonymous Guest
Monday, 15 Jul 2013 11:20 PM

I sneeze with my eyes open almost all the time when i try to hold it in. More like "it's impossible (for me) to not bash my head off something when I sneeze".

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Adam Gaylord
Thursday, 21 Jun 2012 11:30 AM

I was able to do #1 and #2 on my first try. And I know people who can do #6. I do like your hypothesis for #3 though. I'm pretty sure I know how we can test it but it won't be pretty.

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