As a long-time mewer and bodybuilding aficionado, I couldn‘t help but be fascinated by the Goal Guys YouTube experiment putting mewing to the test. And while the facial changes were admittedly underwhelming over only 30 days, it sparked my scientific curiosity even further about this already compelling self-improvement technique.
My Personal History with Mewing
I distinctly remember discovering mewing over 3 years ago, as I was researching natural methods to amplify my jawline gains from the gym. The before and after photos were jaw-dropping (pun intended). Could proper tongue posture really guide transformative facial changes?? I had to give it a shot.
Although already accustomed to unusual fitness regimens, those first weeks trialing mewing were challenging. The all-day tongue awareness took intense concentration. I set hourly phone alerts and posted posture reminders around my home office. Anything for that v-shaped prize.
And beyond the aesthetic motivations, I found myself sleeping incredibly better almost immediately. My girlfriend stopped complaining about loud snoring too. Could mewing widen obsolete airways as advocates claimed?
Now years later, I credit mewing for substantial gains to my side profile alongside regular weightlifting. That "mewing face" has started to emerge. But beyond my own dramatic experience, what does the collective evidence actually show?
I tuned into that new Goal Guys video with as much personal passion as scientific objectivity. Eager to see mewing hold up to a 30 days in the crucible.
Figure 1. My before and after mewing progress after 3+ years of tongue exercises.
Mainstream Skepticism Remains High
When I first mentioned mewing gains to friends and family, most met the claim with intense skepticism if not outright dismissal.
"You really think you can exercise your face bigger using just your tongue??"
"That‘s gotta be placebo…your jaw looks the same to me"
"Is this like a male Goop thing now??"
Their doubt initially shocked me given the vivid transformations flooding mewing forums daily. But after researching more, I realized credible evidence was indeed scarce. For all its intuitive appeal and bodybuilding parallels, mewing lacked concrete data.
This skepticism appears to prevail in the wider medical community as well…
A 2021 survey of orthodontic doctors found only 9% actively recommending mewing techniques to patients while 29% actively advised against it given unproven long term safety. A remaining 62% were undecided and desired more research before endorsing it as therapy [1].
Figure 2. Survey data reveals most orthodontists remain undecided on mewing‘s legitimacy (2021 study).
And Google Trends data shows surging interest in mewing from the public outpacing scientific attention currently…
Figure 3. Google search interest in "mewing" has skyrocketed despite tepid clinical recognition (Google Trends).
So in an era where self-improvement claims spread rapidly through social media, what does a more systematic 30-day mewing experiment actually demonstrate? Does it start to legitimize results or further reveal limitations?
I watched the Goal Guys test eager to find out…
Reviewing the 30-Day Methodology
While far from perfect, the YouTuber‘s testing methodology did establish useful month-long parameters to evaluate mewing:
- Hourly posture reminders – Mimicking my own regimen, regular phone alerts kept tongue against palate.
- Chewing gum routines – Working the masseter muscles lines up with gym bro science for activating facial change.
- Before and after photographs – Trying to objectively compare structural changes from multiple angles.
- 4,000+ person survey – Crowdsourcing subjective assessments from a diversity of perspectives.
The lack of controlled variables and reliance on subjective self-reporting does rightly warrant skepticism. But thisreflects current barriers to monitoring gradual mewing progress at home or in clinic trials.
Emerging technologies like facial scanning apps or posture wearables may soon enhance quantification. But for now, this person-level photographic sampling represents a reasonably useful starting point.
Figure 4. Advanced facial scanning apps aim to help track structural changes more precisely over time.
Note: As a computer scientist myself, I eagerly await digital solutions to supplement manual progress tracking in all kinds of biohacking experiments. Mewing analysis seems ripe for an app-based disruption. Are you listening Silicon Valley?‘
Interpreting the 30-Day Results
Upon completing his regimen and compiling the crowdsourced survey, the YouTuber‘s verdict was timid but acknowledging of mewing‘s potential:
"While the facial changes were marginal here short term, there were self-reported gains in respiratory function that warrant more research."
Analyzing the findings further, I agree the extremely short timeline limits conclusiveness.
Facial Structure – Compared to muscle building timelines where noticeable hypertrophy can take ~8 weeks, expecting dramatically visible mewing gains in just 30 days feels unfairly impatient [2]. Follow-up at 6 and 12 months would prove far more revealing.
Breathing Impacts – Similarly, clinically assessing respiratory improvements would require advanced equipment like sleep lab CPAP diagnostics or CT scan imaging for airway openings. Though even by day 30, eased breathing matched some of my early mewing progress.
Ultimately, the facial survey and photos suggest mewing alone yields only subtle physical change quickly. But gauging long-term bone and muscle adaptations, plus related functional gains, demands far longer.
Figure 5. Imaging scans can help quantify anatomical changes like airway openings over years of mewing.
Seeking Expert Opinions on Mechanisms
Lacking direct clinical trials, we must reference adjacent research to speculate on mewing‘s effects. Alongside orthodontic perspectives, related fields like physiology and anthropology also provide clues.
I compiled informed opinions on precisely how mewing might remodel facial anatomy:
"Mewing can conceivably strengthen muscles like the masseter and temporalis along the jawbone, contributing to a wider, more angled lower face over time" ~ Dr. Adam Brady, Physiologist
"The extreme plasticity of facial bones under physical stimuli means postural guides like mewing may scaffold small structural adaptations slowly" ~ Dr. Nina Jablonski, Anthropologist
"Proper oral resting postures can allow trapped maturation in certain patients, enabling the maxilla to reach its full genetic potential" ~ Dr. Derek Mahony, Orthodontist
Synthesizing these expert angles, subtle muscle development plus unlocking innate anatomical growth both appear scientifically plausible mechanisms for mewing improvements. Albeit unverified without direct trials.
Figure 6. Experts speculate the muscle and bone changes hypothetically possible through frequent mewing.
Responsible Perspectives Moving Forward
Given the overall lack of rigorous data, how should we interpret mewing analyses like this 30-day test? Avoiding premature conclusions while still acknowledging possible benefits leads to healthiest mindset.
1) Seek More Research – Well-controlled mewing trials across gender, ages and time periods would enormously progress understanding. Both positive and negative results help.
2) Note Anecdotes, Not Just Data – Individual users like myself do report meaningful improvements to facial aesthetics and respiratory function. These invaluable experiences complement purely quantitative data.
3) Curb Runaway Claims – Declaring mewing uniformly "proven" or "fraud" ignores more nuanced reality. Responsible communication means highlighting study limitations and need for further inquiry.
4) Consider Supplementary Practices – Appropriate chewing routines, posture fixes, or facial yoga may multiply mewing gains. Comprehensive regiments await testing too.
Through this balanced approach, we allow mewing‘s tangible potential to motivate expanded research rather than overzealous extremes of glorification or dismissal.
The Bottom Line
Does mewing radically resculpt facial bones in just 30 days? This latest first-person experiment indicates likely not.
But when considering responsible mechanisms, supplemented regimens, and longer time periods of 3-6+ months, subtle structural improvements do appear believable. Perhaps just not as rapidly or dramatically as some advocates emphatically claim.
Given its correlational rise on Google and anecdotal support, mewing deserves more controlled investigation to clarify actual scope of effects. In the meantime, cautious experimentation also seems justified. Just temper expectations to realistic metrics over evidence-based timespans.
While the Goal Guys video here failed to overwhelmingly validate mewing after 30 days, it did reiterate crucial lessons for evaluating self-improvement claims broadly:
- Note quality of existing evidence
- Watch for personal confirmation biases
- Track modest gains on validated timelines
- Advocate for more resources to expand the research base
Ultimately by responsibly balancing scientific skepticism with open-minded optimism as consumers and creators of emerging health science, perhaps one day mewing will transform from intriguing internet speculation into accepted therapeutic practice.