It’s happened to the best of us: You’re in a work meeting or on a date when your belly suddenly begins to rumble. Since you can’t let one loose right then and there, you instead endure the discomfort of keeping yourself from passing gas. It turns out this happens quite frequently for the average Americans. According to a recent survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, holding back gas or other symptoms results in 338 “close calls” a year — almost one a day.
More specifically, the average respondent keeps themselves from passing gas 6.5 times per week. Most of these incidents occur in a dining establishment (47%) or while traveling (47%). Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Gas-X, researchers say that gas is not only affecting Americans socially, but also in their professional lives. The poll shows that over a quarter (26%) think the worst place to accidentally pass gas is during a work meeting or professional outing.