You may not be familiar with the term “gleeking,” but there’s a good chance you’ve experienced it.
In fact, you might be a bit unsettled to learn what it is, especially if you’ve done it yourself.
Curiously, videos of people gleeking are readily available on social media platforms like TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube.
Social media is often a treasure trove of bizarre and gross content, isn’t it?
The unusual trend involves the act of expelling saliva from beneath your tongue.
Gleeking often occurs when you’re yawning, leading to potentially awkward moments with your coworkers before you’ve even had your morning coffee.
Interestingly, you can train your tongue to exert pressure on your salivary glands, making you proficient at gleeking.
One viral TikTok video claimed that about one percent of the human population can gleek on command.
However, a medical professional suggests that with effort and practice, ‘everyone’ could participate in the trend.
https://www.tiktok.com/@username/video/7102187849079999787
Essentially, your mouth contains three pairs of major salivary glands, surrounded by numerous smaller ones.
Two of these major glands are situated at the bottom of the mouth, known as the submandibular and sublingual glands.
During eating, these glands begin to produce saliva, with any excess typically draining through ducts under the tongue.
On occasion, this saliva can accumulate, and pressure from your tongue on the glands can cause it to squirt out.
This phenomenon is known as gleeking—a moment that might leave you unsure whether to laugh or cringe as saliva jets out of your mouth.
While it may seem gross, there are techniques you can use to increase your chances of being able to gleek.
Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD, dean of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, told health.com: “If you tense the muscles in the tongue right, it squeezes the duct and saliva squirts right out.”
The expert added that ‘everyone can do this,’ though it may take some time and practice to master the skill.
So, if you find yourself with some free time this weekend, maybe it’s worth giving it a try?