do not want them to be making strange gurgling sounds. [gurgle]

And I mean, even though stomach-growling is probably one of the less offensive noises

your guts can produce, it’s still not something you want happening in the middle of a thoughtful

pause during a job interview.

Now, you’d think that simply eating right before that important meeting would avoid

that problem. Because if you’re not hungry, your stomach isn’t going to growl, right?

Well, it might help a little, but you could still be in for some awkward moments.

Because even though stomach rumbles do have something to do with hunger, that’s not their immediate cause.

Instead, those noises are caused by the movement of air through your digestive tract. And even

though that air isn’t actually escaping your body, it does create some distinctive acoustic effects.

Your digestive system moves things around using muscle contractions. Mostly, it’s

just trying to transport partially digested food, but in the process, air gets shifted

around, too, creating sound vibrations.

In your stomach and small intestine, that air makes a noise that’s sorta like when

you blow bubbles through a straw in your drink -- except that the bubbles are either moving

up toward your stomach or down toward your… other end.

Hunger can make it worse, too. Being hungry causes extra muscle contractions to flare

up, because your digestive system has to clear out the remains of your last meal to prepare

for the next round of food.

When you eat, not only that does help calm down those contractions, but having some food

in there also helps muffle the sound a little.

But in the end it doesn’t really matter if you’re hungry or not because if your

digestive system is active, it’s going to make noise. And like the rest of your bodily

functions, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it.

A big thanks to Sarah A, a supporter on Patreon, for asking us this question! If you’d like

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check out Patreon.com/SciShow.