Is it rude to chew gum in a meeting?

The case for Team Gum

Team Gum has etiquette on its side, up to a point. In a column on the Emily Post Institute site, Peter Post said it is appropriate to chew gum on the job as long as you do it quietly, and even called gum a healthy alternative for smokers who are trying to quit.

Team Gum also has science. In a 2014 study in Physiology and Behavior, 40 participants did a vigilance task four times: at baseline, with or without gum, and twice after chewing. Gum quickened reaction times and raised the rate of correct detections, though correct detections fell during the second post-chewing task.

A long meeting is exactly where a little alertness helps, Team Gum argues, and a silent chew is less distracting than a yawn. Fresh breath, they add, is a gift to everyone at the table.

The case for Team No Gum

Team No Gum cites the same etiquette source. Post wrote that popping bubbles and smacking sounds are not appropriate, comparing that kind of chewing to eating with your mouth open, and advised gum chewers to be ready to dispose of it if suddenly called into a meeting with a manager or prospective client.

Career advisers are stricter. A job search etiquette list published by the University of Adelaide's careers service says never to chew gum, eat, or answer your phone during an interview.

And some listeners are genuinely bothered. A 2023 study in PLOS ONE, using a sample representative of the UK population, estimated that about 18 percent of UK adults have misophonia symptoms that significantly burden their lives. Misophonia is a condition in which certain sounds trigger strong negative reactions, and ScienceAlert's coverage lists chewing, slurping, snoring, and breathing among the trigger sounds. In a quiet meeting room, gum is hard to keep private.

The court's ruling

At your desk, Team Gum wins: quiet chewing is allowed, and the Emily Post Institute agrees. In a meeting, the rules change. You are in front of people, often your boss or a client, and the room is quiet enough for every chew to count.

The court also notes what the evidence does not say. The alertness study measured reaction times in a lab, not how colleagues feel while watching someone chew through a budget review.

Team Gum is guilty of conspicuous chewing during official business and is sentenced to wrap the gum before walking in. A mint, finished before the meeting starts, is the legal alternative.

How to settle it at work

Keep a wrapper or tissue handy so you can get rid of gum quickly, as the Emily Post advice suggests. For interviews, presentations, funerals, weddings, and religious services, finish it before you arrive. If you lean on gum to stay awake, chew it on the way in, then bring water or stand up to stretch at the break instead.

On a casual call with your microphone muted, nobody will hear a thing. If your team still disagrees, file both sides and let Judge Whiskerton rule on your version of the debate.

Questions people ask

Is it rude to chew gum in an interview?

Yes. A University of Adelaide careers article says never to chew gum during an interview. Have a mint beforehand instead.

Is it rude to chew gum at work?

Not if you chew quietly. The Emily Post Institute says gum on the job is fine without popping or smacking.

Is it rude to chew gum while talking to someone?

Usually, in the court's view. Chewing keeps your mouth busy while someone is watching it, so take it out for any real conversation.

Is it rude to chew gum in church?

The court says yes. Treat a service like a formal meeting and finish your gum before you go in.

Sources

1. Emily Post Institute: Gum chewing at work, appropriate or not?
2. FoodNavigator: Chewing gum is a cheap way to help stay alert (Allen, Jacob and Smith, Physiology and Behavior, 2014)
3. University of Adelaide CareerHub: 15 job search etiquette tips
4. ScienceAlert: Misophonia turns out to be way more common than we thought (PLOS ONE, 2023)