Why do people say 'bless you' after a sneeze?
It comes from old beliefs about the danger of a sneeze, such as the soul escaping or the heart stopping. A popular story credits Pope Gregory in a plague, and that story has no good support.
Last reviewed October 20, 2026
What each tradition says
Continental Europe, recorded from the medieval period onward
European folk custom
Several old explanations say a sneeze briefly exposed a person to harm: that the soul could be driven out, or that the heart stopped for a moment. Saying a blessing was protective. The custom is found in many places, and it is recorded in the Middle Ages as something the church disapproved of as a pagan holdover.
The eastern Mediterranean, first century CE, and many branches since
Christian tradition
The best known tale says Pope Gregory the Great ordered people to say 'God bless you' to sneezers during a plague in 590. Gregory did call for prayers in a plague, but there is no evidence that he gave this instruction, and the custom seems older than he is.
How to weigh it
Physiologically a sneeze clears the nose, and the heart does not stop. If you sneeze often with other symptoms, the cause is likely a cold or an allergy, and that is a question for a doctor. The saying is manners now, and a kind one.