What Is Gleeking?
If you’ve never heard of gleeking, consider yourself lucky.
But thanks to social media, this bizarre human ability is getting more attention than ever.
Gleeking is the act of squirting saliva from under your tongue, yes, you read that right. And no, it has nothing to do with the TV show Glee.
Why Is This a Trend?
The human body is capable of some truly strange things, and social media users love to show off their weirdest talents.
Hundreds of videos on TikTok feature people gleeking, demonstrating their ability to squirt saliva like tiny water guns.
How Do People Gleek?
The key to gleeking lies in pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth while keeping it tense.
This motion triggers the salivary glands, causing a small jet of saliva to squirt out.
Who Can Gleek?
Not everyone can do it.
- Around 35% of people can gleek naturally.
- Only 1% can do it on command—which, let’s be honest, is 1% too many.
The Science Behind Gleeking
So, why does this happen?
Our mouths contain three major salivary glands, two of which, the submandibular and sublingual glands, are located under the tongue.
These glands produce saliva to help us eat and swallow.
@therealtiktokdoc @Sky! The master Gleeker 👅 #gleeking #brownsanatomy ♬ original sound – TheRealTikTokDoc
When saliva builds up, pressure from the tongue can force it out through the ducts, resulting in gleeking.
According to Mark S. Wolff, DDS, PhD, dean of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, tensing the tongue muscles in the right way squeezes the duct, causing the saliva to squirt out.
Is Gleeking Useful?
Not really.
Some people can do it on command, but for most, it happens by accident, like when yawning or eating sour foods.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what gleeking is, you might be tempted to try it yourself.
But if you just realized that your saliva glands can act like tiny water pistols, you might also be reaching for a napkin.
Either way, consider this your official introduction to one of the body’s weirdest functions.