From funny stories by famous writers to the surprising effects of holding in gas, and even why it smells worse in the shower, here are some fascinating facts you probably haven’t heard before.
The world’s oldest recorded joke was a fart joke.
The tradition of bathroom humor extends far into history. In 2008, scholars at England’s University of Wolverhampton uncovered an ancient joke dating back to 1900 BCE. This Sumerian jest humorously recounts an event: “Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband’s lap.”
Everyone farts.
If you’ve ever come across someone adamant that they never pass gas, they’re not being truthful. Being a human being who breathes entails being one who also experiences flatulence. Gas is essentially the result of swallowed air mingling with the (typically beneficial) bacteria and organic compounds in your large intestine, ultimately exiting your body through your rear end. Simply put: Farting is a universal reality! Embrace it.
The medical term for a fart is flatus.
To elevate your intellectual prowess when discussing flatulence, you might opt for the proper medical term: flatus, derived from the Latin word for “the act of blowing.” This term, first recorded in 1651, simply refers to “gas generated in the stomach or bowels.” For an even more sophisticated conversation on the topic, consider incorporating “borborygmus,” the term gastroenterologists employ to describe the rumbling noises emanating from your stomach when gas is present.
Adults fart about 14 times a day.
What’s considered a normal amount of flatulence? On average, adults produce around two pints of gas daily, which escapes—either discreetly or audibly—through an average of 14 flatulence episodes per day. If you find this number surprisingly low, fear not. It’s within the realm of normalcy to pass gas up to 21 times daily.
Sulfur is what makes farts stink.
Ninety-nine percent of a fart comprises odorless gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane. It’s when sulfur compounds are introduced into the mix, often through certain foods like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and dairy products, that the unpleasant odor arises.
It’s impossible to hold in a fart.
No matter how discreet you believe you’re being, attempting to suppress a fart is ultimately futile. While you may succeed in delaying its release or muffling its sound through strategic body positioning, the gas will inevitably find its way out. With luck, it may exit quietly and gradually, reducing the likelihood of suspicion. However, if luck isn’t on your side, holding in a fart could result in a louder and more conspicuous expulsion. As explained by Clare Collins, a professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, “Holding on too long means the build-up of intestinal gas will eventually escape via an uncontrollable fart.” So, it’s wise to carefully consider your actions when confronted with flatulence-related decisions.
If you try to hold in a fart, it could leak out of your mouth.
If you’re unlucky enough, prolonged suppression of flatulence could lead to the gas being reabsorbed into your circulatory system, potentially resulting in its escape through your mouth. It’s not worth risking. It’s better to release the gas and avoid any potential discomfort or embarrassment. Let it out.
Shakespeare loved a good fart joke.
While passing gas in public is generally frowned upon, the word “fart” itself has traditionally been considered vulgar, making it taboo to discuss flatulence in certain social settings. However, this didn’t deter some of history’s greatest minds from incorporating fart humor into their works. William Shakespeare, for instance, demonstrated his mastery of the fart joke in pieces like A Comedy of Errors. In this play, the character Dromio of Ephesus quips, “A man may break a word with you, sir; and words are but wind; Ay, and break it in your face, so he break it not behind.”
As did Geoffrey Chaucer.
In Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” there is a character who “let fly a fart as loud as it had been a thunder-clap.”
Plenty of other classic works feature fart jokes.
Dante’s “The Inferno,” Aristophanes’s “The Clouds,” Mark Twain’s “1601,” and J.D. Salinger’s “The Catcher In The Rye” are among the revered literary works that humorously or candidly discuss flatulence.
James Joyce loved farts.
James Joyce’s “Ulysses” is another classic that doesn’t shy away from discussions of flatulence. However, Joyce himself took it a step further, finding something almost romantic in the act of breaking wind. Besides crafting some of the most influential works of the 20th century, Joyce also wrote some rather explicit letters to his wife and muse, Nora Barnacle. In one letter from December 1909, he used the word “fart” a total of 10 times, often in an X-rated context. Joyce even claimed he could distinguish Nora’s flatulence in a room full of women, describing it as a “rather girlish noise.”
Farting can be a fetish.
If Joyce expressed particular enthusiasm for his wife’s distinctive emission, he wouldn’t be alone in such an inclination. It’s worth noting that farting can indeed be a fetish. Case studies, such as a 2013 paper in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, have explored individuals who experience arousal from flatulence, a predilection known as “eproctophilia.”
One woman who had obsessive thoughts about farting was advised to fart harder.
An obsession with flatulence isn’t always related to a fetish. In a 1982 case study published in the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, two scientists from Georgia State University documented the case of a 33-year-old respiratory therapist who was plagued by obsessive thoughts about flatulence. In an unconventional approach, she was advised to “intensify flatus emissions,” essentially meaning that when she felt the need to pass gas, she should do so with greater force. Surprisingly, this contradictory advice helped alleviate her obsessive thoughts entirely.
Canadian Parliament once argued about the appropriateness of using the word fart on the chamber floor.
The controversy sparked in November 2016 when Conservative MP Michelle Rempel, during a passionate speech, questioned why the government appeared to disregard Alberta’s concerns, likening the treatment to ignoring a “fart in the room.” Instead of addressing her inquiry, Green Party leader Elizabeth May criticized Rempel, deeming her choice of words “distinctly unparliamentary” and urging her to retract the statement. May’s objection wasn’t to the political content but to the use of the word “fart,” which she even spelled out. Eventually, the Assistant Deputy Speaker referred to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice rulebook, discussing the section on “unparliamentary language,” and stated that while some remarks were borderline, it was for Rempel to decide if they were unparliamentary. The matter was to be further considered and addressed accordingly.
Gerald Ford blamed his farts on his Secret Service agents.
Canada isn’t the only country where politics and flatulence have intersected in memorable ways. It’s reported that Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, would often attribute his own flatulence to one of his Secret Service agents. He would loudly exclaim, “Jesus, was that you? Show some class!”
One boss got sued for allegedly farting too much.
In a notable case in Melbourne, Australia, David Hingst, a former employee, sued his engineering firm employer, alleging continual bullying by his supervisor, Greg Short, due to Short’s flatulence. Hingst claimed that between May 2008 and April 2009, Short would enter Hingst’s windowless office and intentionally release flatulence, which he found distressing. Hingst sought $1.8 million AUD (approximately $1.3 million USD) in damages. While Short denied being a habitual perpetrator of flatulence attacks, he admitted the possibility of occasional emissions in Hingst’s vicinity. However, the court ruled in favor of the company, determining that occasional occurrences did not constitute harassment. Hingst expressed intentions to appeal the decision.
It’s a bad idea to fart at the police in Germany.
In 2016, during an encounter with Berlin police requesting identification from a group of individuals, one man opted to respond with a pair of flatulence instead. This individual was subsequently fined 900 euros for disrespecting law enforcement, sparking what came to be known as the “Crazy Toot Trial.” The trial involved the participation of 23 law enforcement officials and ignited a significant debate over perceived wasteful public spending.
Some have turned farts into performance art.
In the late 1800s, a French baker named Joseph Pujol amused his customers by inhaling air into his rectum and then expelling it in a manner that allowed him to mimic various instruments and sounds. Although not technically flatulence, Pujol decided to take his act on tour. He adopted the stage name Le Pétomane, combining the French word for “to fart,” péter, with the suffix -mane, meaning “maniac,” and astounded audiences with his ability to pass wind on command. If you’re interested in witnessing a flatulist perform, at least one still exists: England’s Mr. Methane, also known as the King of Farts.
Scientists have studied how much space a fart takes up.
In 1991, gastroenterologists from the Human Gastrointestinal Physiology and Nutrition sub-department of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, England, delved into a crucial question: How much space does a fart occupy? To tackle this inquiry, they provided 10 volunteers with 200 grams of baked beans in addition to their regular diet and then employed rectal catheters to measure their flatulence over the ensuing 24 hours. Their findings revealed that the average volume of a fart—irrespective of gender, body size, or time of day—ranged from 33 to 125 ml, with a median of 90 ml, or approximately 3 fluid ounces. This quantity is roughly equivalent to the volume of an airport-approved travel bottle. It’s an intriguing tidbit to consider the next time you’re packing your toiletry bag for a trip.
Beans might actually make you gassier.
You may have recited the enduring legume-based poem, “Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot,” at some point in your life, and there may be some truth to that catchy rhyme. A study published in Nutrition Journal in 2011, consisting of three feeding studies, discovered that certain subjects who consumed beans experienced an uptick in gas compared to a control group. However, the increases appeared to diminish over time. The authors of the paper contend that the health advantages of beans outweigh any transient flatulence.
There’s no scientific evidence that links how loud a fart is to its smell (or lack thereof).
While it’s common to use the term “silent but deadly” to describe a fart, firm scientific evidence linking the loudness of a fart to its odor is lacking. This isn’t to discount the existence of experiences with silent yet potent flatulence, but if one desires to assert a rigorously established connection between smell and sound, it may require funding research oneself.
Farts can be visible in cold air.
Indeed, the spectacle of lighting a fart on fire is not merely a tale but a demonstrable reality. When a lit flame encounters a gaseous emission, it can indeed create an explosive reaction. However, here’s another fascinating, science-oriented fart fact: In cold weather, if someone passes gas with their pants down, it could potentially be visible, much like how we can see our breath in chilly conditions.
Your farts really do smell worse in the shower.
The absence of clothing when passing gas in the shower means there’s nothing to absorb the odor. Additionally, being in an enclosed space amplifies the concentration of the odor. Moreover, there’s evidence suggesting that the steam in the shower can enhance one’s sense of smell, further intensifying the olfactory experience. Put together, these factors create a potentially potent and lingering aroma.
It’s possible (though unlikely) to spread disease via a fart.
Believe it or not, there’s a potential risk associated with passing gas without pants on: the transmission of illness, not from the odor, but from the gas itself. While this scenario is highly improbable and would require a very specific set of circumstances—namely, a person carrying a contagious disease would need to remove their pants and pass gas directly at another individual in close proximity—it is theoretically possible for diseases to be transmitted through gas.
Lots of animals fart, and for some of them, it can be a genuine matter of life or death.
The Bolson pupfish, a species native to northern Mexico, primarily feeds on algae, which can produce gas bubbles in warm temperatures. Accidentally ingesting these bubbles can pose a danger to the fish if the air enters its intestines. This can hinder the fish’s ability to swim effectively. If the fish fails to expel the air through flatulence, it faces a risk of death, either from being vulnerable to predator attacks as it floats to the water’s surface or due to the potential rupture of its intestines caused by the gas bubbles.
One of the most notorious animal farters is the termite.
Despite their small size, termites live in vast colonies numbering in the millions. When each termite releases approximately half a microgram of methane per day, the cumulative effect is significant: termites collectively produce about 20 million tons of methane annually. This accounts for approximately 1 to 3 percent of global methane emissions.
Not every animal farts.
It is believed that octopuses, soft-shell clams, sea anemones, and birds do not pass gas. Similarly, sloths are also thought to abstain from flatulence, making them potentially the only mammal that does not fart.
Your farts probably aren’t as stinky to you as they are to everyone else.
If you find that your own flatulence smells less offensive than others’, you’re not alone. The more exposed and accustomed we become to something, the more likely we are to develop a preference for it. This principle applies to various aspects of life, including music, art, and even body odors. Therefore, while you may not detect a strong odor from your own gas, those in close proximity might perceive it differently. Additionally, your brain may anticipate an odor when it knows you’ve just passed gas, altering your perception compared to the unexpected surprise of someone else’s flatulence.
There’s a pill that claims to make stinky farts smell sweet.
If you prefer to avoid the sulfur-like smell of flatulence, there’s a solution available. In 2014, a French inventor named Christian Poincheval introduced a pill claimed to transform the odor of your gas from sour to sweet, giving it a chocolate scent. Additionally, there are options for other fragrances such as rose, violet, ginger, and lily of the valley, catering to individual preferences.
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