From humorous anecdotes by renowned authors to the surprising effects of suppressing flatulence, and even the science behind why odors seem stronger in the shower, here are some fascinating tidbits you’ve likely never come across before.
The world’s oldest recorded joke was a fart joke.
The tradition of bathroom humor stretches back through history.
\In 2008, scholars at England’s University of Wolverhampton discovered an ancient joke from 1900 BCE, showcasing the timeless appeal of humor.
A Sumerian jest humorously recounts such 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 met someone claiming they never pass gas, they’re not being entirely truthful. As a human who breathes, you’re also someone who experiences flatulence.
Gas is the result of swallowed air mixing with the (usually helpful) bacteria and organic compounds in your large intestine, eventually exiting through your rear end.
In short, farting is a universal reality—embrace it!
The medical term for a fart is flatus.
To elevate your intellectual game when discussing flatulence, you might prefer the medical term flatus, derived from the Latin word for “the act of blowing.”
First recorded in 1651, it refers to “gas generated in the stomach or bowels.”
For an even more sophisticated discussion, consider using borborygmus, the term gastroenterologists use to describe the rumbling noises your stomach makes 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 each day, which is released—either discreetly or audibly—through about 14 flatulence episodes.
If this number seems surprisingly low, don’t worry. It’s perfectly normal to pass gas up to 21 times a day.
Sulfur is what makes farts stink.
Ninety-nine percent of a fart consists of odorless gases like nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane.
The unpleasant odor occurs when sulfur compounds are introduced into the mix, often through foods like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and dairy products.
It’s impossible to hold in a fart.
No matter how discreet you try to be, attempting to suppress a fart is ultimately futile. While you might delay its release or muffle its sound with strategic body positioning, the gas will eventually escape.
If you’re lucky, it may exit quietly and gradually, reducing suspicion. But if luck isn’t on your side, holding it in could lead to a louder and more noticeable release.
As Clare Collins, a professor of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle, explains, “Holding on too long means the build-up of intestinal gas will eventually escape via an uncontrollable fart.”
If you try to hold in a fart, it could leak out of your mouth.
If you’re unlucky enough, holding in gas for too long could cause the gas to be reabsorbed into your circulatory system, eventually making its way out through your mouth as burps.
It’s not worth the discomfort or potential embarrassment. The best course of action?
Let it out and save yourself the trouble!
Shakespeare loved a good fart joke.
While flatulence may be considered taboo in many social settings, it’s interesting to note how humor surrounding it has transcended centuries. Shakespeare’s ability to weave fart jokes into his work is a testament to the timelessness of humor around bodily functions.
In A Comedy of Errors, Dromio of Ephesus’s witty line not only makes a humorous connection between words and wind but also subtly nods to the natural and inevitable nature of flatulence.
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, one character releases a fart as loud as a thunderclap.
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 just a few of the esteemed literary works that humorously or openly address flatulence.
James Joyce loved farts.
James Joyce’s Ulysses is another notable classic that doesn’t shy away from flatulence. Joyce took it a step further, even finding a certain romanticism in the act of passing gas.
Beyond his literary genius, Joyce’s letters to his wife and muse, Nora Barnacle, were often explicit.
In one from December 1909, he used the word “fart” ten times, frequently in a rather risqué context.
Joyce even claimed that in a room full of women, he could identify Nora’s flatulence, describing it as a “rather girlish noise.”
Farting can be a fetish.
If Joyce had a special appreciation for his wife’s distinctive flatulence, he wouldn’t be alone in this interest. Farting, as it turns out, can indeed be a fetish.
In fact, a 2013 study published in The Archives of Sexual Behavior examined individuals who experience arousal from flatulence, a condition known as “eproctophilia.”
One woman who had obsessive thoughts about farting was advised to fart harder.
An obsession with flatulence doesn’t always stem from 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 troubled by obsessive thoughts about flatulence.
In an unexpected turn, she was advised to “intensify flatus emissions,” meaning she should pass gas with greater force when the urge struck.
Remarkably, this counterintuitive advice helped her overcome her obsessive thoughts entirely.
Canadian Parliament once argued about the appropriateness of using the word fart on the chamber floor.
In November 2016, a controversy arose when Conservative MP Michelle Rempel, during an impassioned speech, questioned why the government seemed to dismiss Alberta’s concerns, likening the treatment to ignoring a “fart in the room.”
Rather than addressing her question, Green Party leader Elizabeth May took issue with Rempel’s choice of words, calling it “distinctly unparliamentary” and urging her to retract the statement.
May’s objection focused on the word “fart,” which she even spelled out.
Ultimately, the Assistant Deputy Speaker referred to the House of Commons Procedure and Practice rulebook, which addresses “unparliamentary language.”
The speaker noted that some remarks were borderline, but it was up to Rempel to decide whether they were unparliamentary, with the matter to be further reviewed and addressed.
Gerald Ford blamed his farts on his Secret Service agents.
Canada isn’t the only country where flatulence has made its mark in politics.
It’s reported that Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, often found humor in his own flatulence, jokingly blaming one of his Secret Service agents.
He would 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, accusing his supervisor, Greg Short, of bullying through persistent flatulence.
Hingst alleged that between May 2008 and April 2009, Short would enter his windowless office and intentionally pass gas, causing him distress.
Hingst sought $1.8 million AUD (around $1.3 million USD) in damages. While Short denied regularly engaging in this behavior, he acknowledged the possibility of occasional emissions near Hingst.
However, the court ruled in favor of the company, stating that sporadic occurrences did not meet the criteria for harassment. Hingst expressed plans to appeal the decision.
It’s a bad idea to fart at the police in Germany.
In 2016, during an encounter with Berlin police who were requesting identification from a group of individuals, one man chose to respond by passing gas instead.
This act led to the man being fined 900 euros for disrespecting law enforcement, giving rise to what became known as the “Crazy Toot Trial.”
The trial saw the involvement of 23 law enforcement officials and sparked a significant debate over the perceived wastefulness of public spending on such matters.
Some have turned farts into performance art.
In the late 1800s, a French baker named Joseph Pujol gained attention by inhaling air into his rectum and expelling it in a way that allowed him to mimic various instruments and sounds.
Though not technically flatulence, Pujol turned his unique ability into a stage act, adopting the name Le Pétomane.
The name, derived from the French word péter (to fart) and the suffix -mane (maniac), showcased his remarkable talent to pass wind on command.
Pujol’s act captivated audiences during his tours. For those interested in witnessing such a performance today, one modern-day flatulist, Mr. Methane, also known as the King of Farts, continues the tradition.
Scientists have studied how much space a fart takes up.
In 1991, a team of gastroenterologists from the Human Gastrointestinal Physiology and Nutrition sub-department at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital conducted a study to determine the volume of a fart.
They gave 10 volunteers 200 grams of baked beans alongside their regular diet and used rectal catheters to measure their flatulence over a 24-hour period.
The results showed that the average fart volume, regardless of gender, body size, or time of day, ranged from 33 to 125 ml, with a median of 90 ml (approximately 3 fluid ounces).
For perspective, this is roughly the size of a typical airport-approved travel bottle. So, the next time you’re packing for a trip, consider this interesting tidbit about the volume of flatulence!
Beans might actually make you gassier.
You’ve probably heard the famous rhyme, “Beans, beans, the musical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot,” and it turns out there’s some truth to it!
A 2011 study published in the Nutrition Journal examined the effects of bean consumption on flatulence. In this study, participants who ate beans did indeed experience an increase in gas compared to a control group.
However, the researchers found that this gas production decreased over time.
Despite the initial uptick in flatulence, the authors emphasized that the health benefits of beans far outweigh any temporary discomfort from increased gas.
There’s no scientific evidence that links how loud a fart is to its smell (or lack thereof).
While the phrase “silent but deadly” has become a popular way to describe certain farts, there isn’t solid scientific evidence that directly links the loudness of a fart to its odor.
While many people have encountered silent but potent emissions, proving a direct connection between sound and smell remains uncharted territory in scientific research.
Farts can be visible in cold air.
Absolutely, lighting a fart on fire is a well-known phenomenon, and it’s backed by science. The flammable gases in a fart, primarily methane, can indeed catch fire when exposed to a flame.
On a more chilly note, when flatulence occurs in cold weather, the moisture in the gas, combined with the drop in temperature, can cause it to condense and become visible, much like seeing your breath on a frosty day.
Your farts really do smell worse in the shower.
Without any fabric to absorb the smell, the enclosed space of the shower means that the odor is more concentrated, and the steam can make it even more noticeable by heightening your sense of smell.
The combination of these factors can lead to an intensified and lasting aroma, making it a more memorable olfactory experience than usual.
It’s possible (though unlikely) to spread disease via a fart.
Believe it or not, there is a potential risk linked to passing gas without pants: the transmission of illness, not through the odor, but via the gas itself.
Though this scenario is extremely unlikely and would require a very specific set of conditions—such as an infected person removing their pants and releasing gas directly near another person—it is theoretically possible for diseases to be transmitted through flatulence.
Lots of animals fart, and for some of them, it can be a genuine matter of life or death.
The Bolson pupfish, native to northern Mexico, primarily feeds on algae, which can release gas bubbles in warmer water.
If the fish accidentally swallows these bubbles, it can be dangerous, as the air may enter its intestines. This can disrupt the fish’s ability to swim properly.
If it doesn’t expel the gas through flatulence, the fish faces the risk of death, either from floating to the surface and becoming an easy target for predators or from the potential rupture of its intestines caused by the trapped air.
One of the most notorious animal farters is the termite.
Termites, though small, live in large colonies that can number in the millions.
Each termite releases about half a microgram of methane daily, and when combined, termites produce around 20 million tons of methane annually.
This contributes to about 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 thought to be the only mammals that do 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 we’re exposed to something, the more likely we are to develop a preference for it.
This applies to everything from music and art to body odors. As a result, while you might not notice a strong odor from your own gas, those nearby may perceive it differently.
Additionally, your brain may anticipate an odor when it knows you’ve just passed gas, affecting your perception compared to the surprise of someone else’s flatulence.
There’s a pill that claims to make stinky farts smell sweet.
If you’d prefer to avoid the sulfur-like smell of flatulence, there’s a solution available.
In 2014, French inventor Christian Poincheval introduced a pill designed to transform the odor of your gas from sour to sweet, even giving it a chocolate scent.
There are also options for other fragrances, including rose, violet, ginger, and lily of the valley, catering to different preferences.
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