'Gleeking' Is A Disgusting Human Function That People Don't Realise They Can Do
One expert reckons anyone can teach themselves how to do it, if they wish
If you've never heard the term 'gleeking' before, it may surprise you to learn that there's a high possibility you've actually done it before without even realising. You can see some gleeking in action here - but be warned, it is a little bit gross:
I warned you it was a bit gross.
Gleeking is the name for shooting saliva out from under your tongue - usually this occurs when you're yawning and you might now be sitting there thinking 'oh yeah, I am a gleeker'.
Now, although the guy in this clip says only one percent of the population can do it on demand, a doctor reckons 'everyone' can train themselves to do it, but it could take a bit of practice.
Sit tight now for the science bit, as I attempt to explain to you what causes people to gleek.
Inside your mouth there are three pairs of major saliva glands and then thousands of minor ones.
Two of the major ones are located on the bottom of your mouth - the submandibular glands and the sublingual glands, if you want to know their real names.
When eating these glands start pushing out saliva and usually any excess drains away through ducts under your tongue.
But sometimes this can build up and the pressure on the glands from your tongue causes it to squirt out.
As I mentioned earlier this typically happens by accident, but if you fancy giving it a go on demand there are some ways you can boost your chances.
Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD, dean of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania told health.com that eating something sour can help to stimulate your salivary glands - you can then push your tongue out of your mouth, lift it up and curl the tip of your tongue back so it's behind your top teeth.
Dr Wolff told the publication: "If you tense the muscles in the tongue right, it squeezes the duct and saliva squirts right out."
He went on to say 'everyone can do this', but it will most likely take some practice to get to the point where you can do it on command.
Well, what other plans did you have for this weekend?
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@skysaferianTopics: Interesting, Weird, TikTok
Claire Reid