The glorious, tasty AF pocket of air that rolls out of your mouth after you’ve finished a hearty meal (yes, I’m talking about the burp) is a physiological phenomenon that has never been given quite the attention and appreciation it deserves. Well, we’re here to correct that. Behold, 12 crazy facts about belching that’re bound to amaze.

1. Burping releases gas that has built up in your body from swallowing air. You might not know it, but you swallow air all the time – especially when you eat or talk quickly, chew gum, or drink through a straw.

2. Most people burp between 6 and 20 times a day!

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3. In some cultures, a burp after a meal is considered to be a compliment to the chef. India happens to be one of them!

4. When an astronaut burps in outer space, there is a high chance that some food particles will also come out in what some call a wet burp! Yuck!

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5. Babies need to be burped when they’re young because they swallow a lot of air and can’t expel it because of their inability to sit up straight.

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6. The longest burp ever recorded is 1 minute 13 seconds and 57 milliseconds long and was achieved by Michele Forgione in Reggiolo, Italy, on June 16, 2009.

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7. The loudest burp ever recorded was 109.9 decibels and was achieved by Paul Hunn in Bognor Regis, United Kingdom, on August 23, 2009. That’s louder than the roar of a motorcycle or chainsaw!

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8. The official medical term for burping is ‘ eructation ‘.

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9. Every year, cows in the U.S.A. burp about 50 million tons of gas into the atmosphere, majorly contributing to the greenhouse effect. The burps of ten cows could heat a small house for a year.

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10. Chickens can’t burp.

11. It’s true! The more you burp, the less you fart!

12. You can avoid/reduce burping (or farting) by lowering your dairy, legume and cruciferous vegetable intake, and trying to reduce stress levels.

We hope that you’ll celebrate your now superior understanding of the universe of belching with the most uproarious discharge of gas from your mouth you can manage. If not, it most certainly will find a way out through the back-door!