ANOTHER day, another viral TikTok trend takes over the social media platform.
TikTok creators are doing this popular trick that seems to solve a certain problem of an NSFW natured topic.
What is the thumb trick on TikTok?
The thumb trick is a hand gesture that appears to turn off your gag reflex.
The trick initially became popular back in 2019 when TikTok user @gremlin_rat posted a video doing the now viral again trend.
In hundreds of videos posted in droves to the social media giant, you can see creators demonstrating the trick.
Many start by showing both hands and then stick a finger down their throat, setting off their gag reflex.
Then they demonstrate getting their thumb into position before trying to trigger their gag reflex again.
The trick has become so popular that videos posted to the site of the trend have racked up around 15 million views.
Many of the videos have hashtags such as #datingtips and #datingadvice, and creators are claiming that utilising this simple trick will instantly improve your love life.
How does the thumb trick work on TikTok?
The trick is very simple and straight forward to do:
- Hold up your thumb
- Tuck the thumb down into your palm
- Wrap your fingers around your thumb , tightly
That’s it! No more gag reflex!
For those of you who are sceptical as to whether this actually works, there is a study that has looked into the topic of a pressure point in the palm that stops the gag reflex.
The study called ‘Altering the gag reflex via a palm pressure point’ was conducted by Donna Scarborough, Michael Bailey-Van Kuren and Michael Hughes.
In the study they tell us that the squeezing of the pressure point in the palm had the same effect on all the participants in reducing or removing the gag reflex.
Their study was published in 2008 in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
The clinical implications of this study means that during dental examinations where a gag reflex may occur, engaging the pressure point in the palm decreases the likelihood of the reflex being triggered.
The study was also backed up in a blog by St Mary’s Dental in Maryland, who included the thumb trick as one of their tips to overcoming a sensitive reflex.
The researchers did add that there is room for more research to be done to understand this further.
However in an interview with the mirror in 2020, Dr Brad McKay a GP from Sydney, Australia, said: ” Pressing on your thumb and chin to ‘switch off’ your gag reflex, is basically an elaborate placebo.”
What have people said about the thumb trick on TikTok?
Many TikTok users seem to be discovering this trend for the first time after it first became popular three years ago.
One of the most viral videos that has 2.2 million views shows three dental assistants lip syncing to a song with the caption “When patients use the ‘thumb trick’ when taking their x-rays.”
TikTok content creator @ohhkody posted a video to their page demonstrating the trick working for them. The video has 1.5 million views.
One user commented “I almost touched my lungs trying to do it (it works for me).”
Another stitched the video with the caption “Ew I touched the dangly thing.” You can see the creator doing the hand gesture and putting his finger down his throat, before turning to the camera with a shocked expression.