Korean Fan Death Syndrome

[CptStern]

Fan death is a widely held belief prevailing in South Korea that an electric fan left running overnight in a closed room can cause the death of those inside. Fans sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_death

Examples for possible justifications of belief in fan death are as follows:

That an electric fan chops up all the air particles in the air leaving none to breathe.

I hear cameras capture your soul

 

[unozero]

HAAHAHAHHAHAAH.

wow people are retarded,this is going up on Facebook.
thx for sharing.

 

[Wanted Bob]

Oh man, those possible justifications were hilarious

I'm not surprised that some people would actually believe this, but this almost seems like scare tactics to prevent people from using up electricity all night long.

 

[CptStern]

it's south korea not north korea

 

[Wanted Bob]

Oh, true. What the hell South Korea?

 

[Ennui]

I've heard of this before. Absurd belief but no more absurd than similar eccentricities in any culture. Like this.

 

[CptStern]

I've heard of this before. Absurd belief but no more absurd than similar eccentricities in any culture. Like this.

ya but the difference here is that the Korea fan thing is a myth

 

[ríomhaire]

I've heard of this before. Could Numbers come in and give us some insight on this?

 

[CptStern]

it's real and quite widely believed:

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/summer-death-revives-fan-death-myth-070003560.html

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

Ugh. I hate when people believe in complete bunk like this. Interestingly enough, the Chinese believe fans blowing directly on you will cause facial paralysis.

Of course, our country has its own misinformation campaigns ...

 

[Stylo]

Brb, unplugging all my fans.

 

[YROC]

My fan stays on most hours of the day. It's too ****ing hot otherwise.

 

[Raziaar]

My fan stays on most hours of the day. It's too ****ing hot otherwise.

That's why you and I are both dead.

 

[15357]

................ cameras do capture your soul.




Also, this is a repost of a 2008 or 2009 thread.

To comment, my parents told me this, and they seem to believe it. When I told them the reasons why it was false (namely some scientists tested out this theory on national television), they accepted it but didn't want to seem to have a fan on while they slept. I blame the media. Scaremongering bastards.

 

[Acepilotf14]

My fan has been running for weeks straight. I think it might explode sometime. mite b true

 

[Hazard.Squared]

This is almost as ridiculous as that whole "you swallow 8 spiders a year while you're sleeping" bullshit. Almost.

 

[Yuri]

well im going to go to bed with my fan on guys

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE

 

[Krynn72]

(namely some scientists tested out this theory on national television)

lol, what did they do, lock some scared Korean person in a room with a fan and told him to go to sleep?

Here's one that a lot of people still believe in America. Shaving will cause the hair to grow back faster. Also some people believe the same thing with finger/toe nails. http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100214173951AA9aLkV

EDIT: I just realized that was the New Zealand version of Yahoo Questions. I guess Kiwis still believe it too.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

I wonder if the governmental statement remains valid. Shit's hilarious.

 

[15357]

lol, what did they do, lock some scared Korean person in a room with a fan and told him to go to sleep?

Persons. They had a control group and everything.

And they didn't look very scared, either that or they tranquilized them.

 

[Bad^Hat]

lol, what did they do, lock some scared Korean person in a room with a fan and told him to go to sleep?

Here's one that a lot of people still believe in America. Shaving will cause the hair to grow back faster. Also some people believe the same thing with finger/toe nails. http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100214173951AA9aLkV

EDIT: I just realized that was the New Zealand version of Yahoo Questions. I guess Kiwis still believe it too.

Yeah, I've heard it a lot here. I'm living proof of its inaccuracy. *strokes neckstubble*

 

[Sulkdodds]

well im going to go to bed with my fan on guys

SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE

Hello? Hello? Is it working? I slept with my fan on all night; can anyone hear me?

 

[Yuri]

Hello? Hello? Is it working? I slept with my fan on all night; can anyone hear me?

Hello, my friend. I feel... stronger. Do you?

 

[Unfocused]

Yeah, I've heard it a lot here. I'm living proof of its inaccuracy. *strokes neckstubble*

I didn't know it was a myth. Not that I put much thought into it either.

 

[Stylo]

Here's one that a lot of people still believe in America. Shaving will cause the hair to grow back faster. Also some people believe the same thing with finger/toe nails. http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100214173951AA9aLkV

Not just America, I'm afraid.

 

[YROC]

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/j6cny/iama_korean_person_who_believed_in_fan_death/

 

[Ennui]

This is almost as ridiculous as that whole "you swallow 8 spiders a year while you're sleeping" bullshit. Almost.

I heard this back when I was a kid on some crappy TV program, and I actually started sleeping with my mouth closed because of it. Now a decade later I'm not even capable of sleeping with my mouth open unless I'm drunk or sick and my nose is stuffed up.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Fan death is a widely held belief prevailing in South Korea that an electric fan left running overnight in a closed room can cause the death of those inside. Fans sold in Korea are equipped with a timer switch that turns them off after a set number of minutes, which users are frequently urged to set when going to sleep with a fan on

I've done this for a while. Though I do feel empty inside, like I have lost my soul

 

[15357]

I set them only because I feel like I'm wasting electricity. I've been indoctrinated in the way of conservation.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

I first read the title of this thread to mean something like the people who were watching Starcraft matches would suddenly die for no reason, like The Ring or something.

 

[Raziaar]

I set them only because I feel like I'm wasting electricity. I've been indoctrinated in the way of conservation.

If the fan is keeping you cool, you're not wasting electricity.

God damn, does South Korea not have ceiling fans? Keep those running all the time when it's hot to keep the air circulation up and you shouldn't need a regular fan. The power consumption on low energy ceiling fans is incredibly incredibly low. They're also great for colder temperatures too, as they even out the temperature in the room, from the cold air on the floor to the warmer air up high.

 

[15357]

Come to think of it, I've never seen a ceiling fan on over here. D:

And they are pretty rare; I think I've only saw them for decoration on fancy hotel lounges. I thought they must be ineffective, since nobody ever had them on lol.