# Why does chewing gum melt or sort of fall apart in my mouth if I've been crying?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [February 25, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108 "2022-02-25T15:59:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2022, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/1 "2022-02-25T15:59:51Z")
Question is in the title.
I’m assuming it must be some sort of chemical reaction but, what specifically is happening.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/2 "2022-02-26T14:02:57Z")
Could be tear duct drainage entering your nasal cavities and dripping down into your throat, producing enough fluid and mucus to soften gum.
Didn’t the 1910 Fruitgum Company have a song about that?
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/3 "2022-02-26T14:22:03Z")
I don’t know about the song. 🙂
But thanks for the answer. I was crying so much yesterday about Ukraine, my gum just sort of disintegrated and it made me curious.
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### Author:  [@its\_the\_daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/its_the_daddy)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/4 "2022-02-26T14:24:34Z")
Dunno, but it sure loses its flavo(u)r on the bedpost overnight.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/5 "2022-02-26T14:51:44Z")
That’s the whole reason my bed has no posts.
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/6 "2022-02-26T17:23:34Z")
Some interesting speculation, and maybe info, here:
> **[Does passionate kissing cause your chewing gum to disintegrate?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341648/does-passionate-kissing-cause-your-chewing-gum-to-disintegrate)**
And a single comment on that column here, with speculation about stress-induced ketones in the saliva:
> [@Gum Disintegration](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gum-disintegration/638837):
>
> I have had this happen to me under stressful situations before, but never connected it to stress. I used to chew gum in class to help stay awake (I’m narcoleptic) and during particularly stressful exams it would basically dissolve. Last night, at a marriage counseling session, the gum I was chewing disintegrated near the end of the session. Afterwards, I realized that the strange taste in my mouth that accompanied this event reminded me of the metallic taste I get sometimes when I am in ket…
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### Author:  [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-chewing-gum-melt-or-sort-of-fall-apart-in-my-mouth-if-ive-been-crying/960108/7 "2022-02-26T17:26:53Z")
Are you chewing your usual gum? I notice if I buy gum from Aldi it isn’t as rubbery as other brands. Less chicle in it or something? I don’t know…