1) It’s great exercise:

Ever wondered if chewing gum is good exercise? I mean, how many calories does it really burn?  Well, wonder no more, the answer is 11 calories/hour. Now that may not seem like a lot, but consider this: If you chew gum 1 hour a day every day of the week, you’ll have spent 4015 calories in the whole year! That comes out to about 1.15 lbs worth of calories at 3500 calories per lb. Okay, so maybe that’s still not much… but it’s certainly something. As an added bonus, you’ll have the strongest jaw in town. Which I’m sure can come in handy from time to time.

2) Chewing gum makes you smarter:

In a study done at Baylor College of Medicine, researchers took 108 8th grade math students, divided them into two groups, and followed them for 14 weeks. One group chewed sugarless gum while doing homework and taking tests, the other did not. Well guess what, the gum chewers had a whopping 3% increase in their standardized tests.  This is due to psychological phenomenons that allow us to recall information in familiar settings - the gum that you chewed.  Now, that may not seem like much, but if chewing gum gives you a free extra boost in your ability to concentrate, then count us in!

3) Chewing gum helps you eat healthier:

Turns out that chewing gum could help you curb your craving for high-calorie and sweet foods.  Participants of a study who chewed gum three times hourly after lunch had fewer cravings for bad snacks.  As great as these findings are, which we all hope is true, there are other studies that suggest else wise.

4) Chewing gum cleans your teeth:

Who needs toothbrush and toothpaste when you’ve got chewing gum?  Just kidding, please keep brushing your teeth.  These days, many chewing gums contain xylitol, a chemical known to stimulate saliva flow and clean the surface of your teeth. So says a rather potentially controversial study funded by Wrigley, a gum company that has xylitol in its gum.  At the very least though, the increase in saliva flow will cleanse your teeth!

5) Chewing gum helps you make friends:

If you find yourself in a situation where you need to get on someone’s good side, offer them some gum! It makes you appear thoughtful, generous and friendly. It can also be a great conversation starter or ice-breaker, especially if you offer some interesting flavors like green apple mint, or watermelon kiwi. You might even score a date out of it.