Summary
The AsapSCIENCE hosts break down the science and culture of mewing, the tongue posture technique created by Dr. John Mew in the 1970s and popularized on social media by his son Mike Mew. They explain the technique, trace its origins in orthotropics, and critically examine the claims. A key study they reference found no significant differences in jaw muscle activity as a function of tongue position, undermining the core mechanism behind mewing. They discuss the crossover into the incel and looksmaxing communities, the simultaneous rise in male jaw filler surgeries since 2019, and the fact that many mewing guides also recommend lowering body fat, exercising, and improving sleep -- confounding any claimed results. The hosts conclude there is no peer-reviewed evidence that mewing works for adults, though it is unlikely to cause harm.
Key Points
- Mewing involves pressing the full tongue including the back against the roof of the mouth while keeping lips closed
- Created by Dr. John Mew in the 1970s as part of "orthotropics," an alternative orthodontic practice
- Mike Mew (the son) popularized it on YouTube and TikTok, with Google Trends showing 100x growth from 2018 to 2019
- Both Mews had their orthodontic qualifications revoked for promoting unproven claims over conventional treatment
- A study on tongue positioning found no significant differences in jaw muscle activity regardless of tongue placement
- Mewing guides also recommend lowering body fat, aerobic exercise, quality sleep, and supplements -- confounding any results
- Male jaw filler surgeries have skyrocketed since 2019 alongside the mewing trend, reflecting broader masculine beauty ideals
- The technique originally targeted children's jaw development, where there is some orthodontic basis, but most practitioners are adults
- No peer-reviewed research supports mewing for adult facial restructuring
Key Moments
What mewing actually is and why it became a social media phenomenon
The hosts explain the mewing technique -- pressing the full tongue including the back against the roof of the mouth -- and discuss how Mike Mew popularized it on YouTube, with Google Trends showing massive growth from 2018. The trend intersects with fitness, weight loss, and male aesthetics communities.
"So the technique is, everyone at home, you can try this right now. It's actually so simple that it's kind of dumb. It's like you close your mouth."
Study shows no significant muscle activity changes from tongue positioning
A study measuring electromyographic activity in jaw muscles found no significant differences in muscle activity as a function of tongue position. Placing the tongue at the top of the mouth does not meaningfully strengthen jaw muscles, undermining the core mechanism claimed by mewing proponents.
"Basically they found there's no significant differences in muscle activity as a function of tongue position. So you're not actually like changing the muscles in your jaw that much to the degree that you will like strengthen them as though you've gone to the gym."
Mewing guides bundle many lifestyle changes that confound results
A deep dive into mewing guides reveals they also recommend proper breathing, body posture changes, sleep positions, chewing differently, tongue exercises, and lowering body fat. With so many variables being changed simultaneously, it is impossible to attribute any results to mewing alone.
"It's like they are also giving tips on how to breathe properly, like you said, how to change your body posture, what sleep positions you need to go in, how to chew differently, how to swallow differently, tongue exercises, you should lower your body fat. So it's like you start to realize that you're like, is this really about mewing?"
No peer-reviewed research supports mewing for adults
The hosts conclude that there is no peer-reviewed research supporting mewing for facial restructuring. All reliable sources discuss the Mew brothers' loss of credentials and recommend that actual jaw issues be addressed by healthcare professionals.
"There's no reliable research on this. And all the reliable resources are people saying that. Talking about the Mew brothers, the popularity, how actual issues need to be addressed by healthcare professionals."
