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In Romania "the draft" (ie: air current when you have two open windows) is a powerful enemy which can cause many symptoms or diseases: back pain, neck paralysis, ...

The "draft" can only happen inside, outside wind can't cause such symptoms.

If you feel such an air current inside you must immediately close something to stop it. Damage is cumulative. A bit of draft today, a bit tomorrow, and 10 years later you are paralyzed.

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I'm not sure of the cause, but it's a common observation in nursing homes that old people prefer stuffy air. (Not warm air; just, stuffy. High-CO2-sat air.)

Given that old people also have more random aches and pains, I wonder whether that's just an instance of confirmation bias (you're old, you ache, and you want to shut the windows, so you think it's the breeze making you ache) or whether it's actually something causal (e.g. decreasing oxygen quality has an analgesic effect on the sort of inflammatory joint pains you get as you age?)

This reminds me of people's beliefs of water with ice in Chile. It can cause colds, nausea and just about anything else. Chilled water is fine.

Same in Turkey. Actually I think even in Germany ("im Zug gestanden haben." Where "Zug" = "Zugluft")

On the other hand, one peculiar thing I noticed about all Germans that I've lived with is their obsession with opening all their windows to 'air out the apartment'. They do this regularly (almost daily it seems) and regardless of season (freezing icy winter-wind? No matter, we need fresh air!).

I've also lived with many other nationalities and none of them do this. Fascinating.

One reason might be that air conditioning/flow systems are not very common in Germany an thus you feel the need to create your own air exchange.

But this is a true threat when people inside the apartment are sweaty or have just had a bath, right? If you're sweaty (all over) and cold wind hits you outside, you might catch something...

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