Hold Your Nose & Hum

Today we’re diving into a quirky little experiment you can try at home—or maybe while you’re here with us. Ever tried to hum while holding your nose? Turns out, it’s not just difficult; it’s impossible. Let’s find out why.

Humming is more than just a melody; it’s a fascinating interplay of airflow and vocal cord vibration. When we hum, air is expelled from the lungs, passes through the vocal cords in our throat, and then escapes primarily through our nose.

Here’s the technical scoop: When you hum, your vocal cords come together and vibrate as air passes between them. This vibration produces sound. Normally, when we speak or sing, the sound can exit through both the mouth and the nose. However, humming is unique because it involves keeping your mouth closed, which forces the sound and air to find another exit—through your nostrils.

So, what happens when you hold your nose closed? By pinching your nostrils shut, you're effectively blocking the only path for the airflow to escape. With no way out, the air pressure builds up, and the vibration of your vocal cords can’t sustain the sound of humming.

To put it simply, without an exit for the air, the essential elements that produce the "hmm" sound are disrupted. The closed mouth stops outward air movement, and clamping the nose traps the air inside. It’s like trying to play a wind instrument with all the holes taped up!

This neat little trick of the body highlights the importance of airflow in vocalization, showing us that even the simplest sounds like humming are the result of precise anatomical functions. It’s a perfect blend of biology and physics right under, or rather, inside our noses.

So go ahead, give it a try—just maybe not in the library or at the office. It’s a fun way to amaze friends or even just a quirky way to pass the time during a commercial break.

Thanks for checking out today’s little nugget! Want to listen along instead of reading? Check out our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or Amazon!