Gut Feelings: Our Second Brain
Gut Feelings: Our Second Brain – A primal connection exists between our brain and our gut.
We often talk about a “gut feeling” when we meet someone for the first time. We’re told to “trust our gut instinct” when making a difficult decision or that it’s “gut check time” when faced with a situation that tests our nerve and determination.
This mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback about how hungry we are, whether or not we’re experiencing stress, or if we’ve ingested a disease-causing microbe. This information superhighway is called the brain-gut axis and it provides constant updates on the state of affairs at your two ends.
Scientists are discovering that the brain-gut axis is bi-directional. Not only is our brain “aware” of our gut microbes, but these bacteria can influence our perception of the world and alter our behavior.
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