I chew it as a fidget object at work. I often need to fidget in some way or other to stop being distracted, and chewing gum is somewhat more acceptable than chewing coffee stirrers, and it won't make me chubby like proper food.

Exactly. If you've got a brain that will divert need-to-fidget from fingers to mouth, gum is an excellent fiddle object. So are cigarettes for that matter, especially if you roll your own.