The Empty Lungs Neck Noise TikTok Trend Is More Morbid Than You Think

Another day, another TikTok trend. And the most recent may be the strangest to date. Individuals on the vertical video app are emptying their lungs of air and squeezing their necks to produce peculiar noises involuntarily.

While the concept and accompanying sounds are comical in nature, the trend may be tied to something slightly more morbid. So, what does the empty lungs neck noise TikTok trend entail? We have the details.

The newest TikTok trend is incredibly bizarre. However, the flood of videos with users demonstrating the concept is unbelievably hilarious. Individuals are filming themselves emptying their lungs of oxygen and pressing on their necks. But why, exactly?

The answer is quite simple: to produce a reflexive noise from their throat that is hysterical to listen to. And it couldn’t be easier to recreate.

Simply breathe until you release all the air from your lungs, press on your neck (you can press on the front of your throat or the sides), and wait to hear the involuntary noise that slips out.

@zamiralikesfood posted a video of herself trying the neck noise trend on TikTok, and it garnered over 4 million likes. “Saw a TikTok where someone said to push all the air out of your lungs and push on your neck to see what noise comes out,” the creator wrote. “I should’ve minded my business.”

After releasing the oxygen from her lungs for several seconds, the TikToker squeezed her neck with her hands and produced a noise rivaling a goose (or kazoo). Naturally, the comment section had a few thoughts.

One user pointed out that @zamiralikesfood sounded like “those [geese] in the dog toy aisle.” However, most people commented on what their involuntary neck noises sounded like. “I sounded like a Minecraft villager,” someone wrote. Another added, “I did it and sound like a clicker.”

Others offered possible explanations as to why the sound occurs. “Everybody’s just figuring out what their death gurgle is going to sound like and it’s not fun,” @youaremyimagination said.

So, what does the creator mean by “death gurgle”?

While the neck noise TikTok trend is meant to make social media users laugh, the sound it replicates is quite morbid. @youaremyimagination said that the noise mimics a death gurgle, a concept medicine calls the “death rattle.”

Verywell Health says, “The ‘death rattle’ is a kind of gurgling sound that you may hear when people are dying. It happens because they are no longer able to swallow or cough, so saliva builds up in the back of the throat and upper airways. The fluid causes the rattling sound when air passes through.”

So, there you have it, folks. While it isn’t the cheeriest of ideas, many still find the trend quite funny. However, if you are to try it out for yourself, be sure to exercise the utmost caution.