Summary
Host Mike Peska brings on science writer Sadie Dingfelder for a segment of "Is That Bullshit?" dedicated to mewing, the tongue posture technique popularized by disgraced British orthodontists John and Mike Mew. The episode walks through what mewing actually involves, the Mew family's history of losing their orthodontic licenses, and the lack of scientific evidence for the practice in adults. They discuss how the technique was adopted by the "looksmaxing" and incel communities, the dubious before-and-after photos circulating on Reddit, and the broader question of whether jaw development has changed due to softer modern diets and reduced breastfeeding. The verdict: mewing is definitively bullshit for adult jawline transformation, though proper tongue posture may have modest benefits for breathing and oral health.
Key Points
- Mewing involves pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth for 10-20 seconds per hour, every day -- that is the entire exercise
- Named after John Mew, a British orthodontist who was struck from the register; his son Mike was also later disbarred
- Even the Mews acknowledge the technique should not theoretically work for adults, as jaw growth is complete
- John Mew conducted twin studies on his own children, including using spiked headgear devices that caused documented harm to kids
- One dedicated 18-year-old practiced mewing 7 hours a day and developed an impacted salivary gland requiring surgery
- Before-and-after photos on Reddit are largely attributable to better angles, lighting, or weight changes
- No independent, properly controlled scientific study has demonstrated mewing works for adults
- Human jaws may have gotten narrower over the past 200 years, possibly due to softer diets and changes in breastfeeding patterns
Key Moments
The mewing technique explained and why the Mews were disbarred
Sadie Dingfelder explains mewing as "tongue yoga" -- placing the tip of the tongue behind the top teeth, swallowing, and holding the tongue against the roof of the mouth. Named after John Mew, who was struck from the orthodontic register, followed by his son Mike.
"And do you feel how your tongue presses against the roof of your mouth when you swallow? Mm-hmm. A little bit. A little bit. Now breathe through your nose. Mm-hmm. Now do that for 10 to 20 seconds. Mm-hmm. Every mini, like about once an hour every day. And so 20 seconds every hour, every day for the rest of your life. Yeah. And your jaw gets lantern, your jaw. When you do it, do you feel- That's just one rep. I think you're supposed to do like more than one rep, like maybe 10 reps. Okay. That's a rep. And is that the only exercise or is that a series of exercises? Is that the downward dog of tongue yoga? That is the whole thing. That is mewing. But interestingly, yeah. That's it? Oh, wow. What a delight you'd be at parties. Yeah. And there's a lot of instructional videos. So maybe I didn't do it exactly right, but I think that's pretty standard. Okay. And interestingly, though, there's a more common usage of the word mu that young people use that I think is more common. And they don't even know about the tongue exercise really. But it's a gesture. And the gesture is this. You put your finger on your lips in an exaggerated hush gesture, and then you just draw your jawline. So you bring your finger along your jawline. And that's supposed to do something? No. That is how you can say to someone, I'm sorry, I can't answer your question right now because I am mewing. Oh, wow. So etiquette. It's the exercise. It's the etiquette. That's like at the gym. Hey, man, can you give me a spot? This is the exercise. Oh, wow. Apparently, kids use it to annoy their teachers. So if they're asked a question in class, they'll be like."
Why mewing cannot work for adults -- even theoretically
Even the Mews agree that mewing should not work for adults because the jaw is done growing. John Mew conducted twin studies on his own children using spiked orthodontic devices that caused harm. One 18-year-old practiced mewing 7 hours a day and developed an impacted salivary gland requiring surgery.
"Even theoretically, there's no reason why this should work for adults. And even the muse will agree with this. So your jaw is done growing and you're not going to change it by doing weird tongue exercises all the time."
Verdict -- mewing is definitively bullshit for adult jaw transformation
After reviewing the evidence, the hosts conclude that mewing is definitively bullshit for adult jawline changes. No independent controlled studies exist, the practitioners are disbarred, and before-and-after photos are unreliable.
"No one's done these studies, but it's mostly because these guys are definitely quacks. Mewing, tongue yoga, jaw maxing. You could do exercises to improve the shape and contours of your jaw. Is that bullshit? Definitely. Definitely bullshit."
