Watch This Slow Motion Video of What Happens When You Gargle

Taking a cue from The Magic School Bus, YouTube sensations The Slow Mo Guys took a break from exploring the way things smash, burn, and explode to scope out a more common phenomenon: gargling. Gavin Free and Daniel Gruchy aimed their camera down Gruchy's throat to see if the act of rinsing the throat and mouth would look more interesting in slow motion. "It will either be really boring or fascinatingly gross," Free predicted. (Spoiler alert: It's the latter.)

The team conducted two trials, one in which Gruchy mimicked the sound of gargling without any liquid and one in which he gargled with water. In both cases, the uvula, which scientists believe aids speech, can be seen thrashing around in slow motion. ("It looks like a second tongue going ape in the back of your mouth," Free notes.)

While it may not be pretty, there are a few reasons why you should consider making it a part of your daily routine. The act of gargling helps break up mucus and remove irritants—such as fungi, bacteria, and allergens—from the throat, according to The New York Times. The simple act can also help lower your chances of picking up an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI): A 2005 study published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that participants who regularly gargled had a 40 percent decrease in URTIs. But it does more than stave off infection; gargling with sugar water has been shown to help people have more self control.