The common phrases “I have butterflies in my stomach” or “my stomach is in knots” or even “my feelings were hurt” which many, including myself, use as a metaphor, are stated when undergoing an emotional situation. But have you asked yourself why we feel these negative emotions in our stomach? Can there be a more literal derivation to these metaphorical phrases?
According to Doctor Anthony Komaroff, “we use these expressions because anger, anxiety, sadness, elation, and other emotions can trigger symptoms in our gastrointestinal tract”. This means that the brain has a direct effect on the stomach in any situations and vice-versa, the stomach has a direct effect on the brain. So let’s say you’re starving and can’t stop thinking about chipotle, for many of us that’s 24/7, Doctor K claims that the thought of fulfilling that craving and eating can release the stomach juices before you even eat. Can that be true? I strongly agree because if you think about it, when one’s stomach is empty and has not been feed all day, the stomach can send signals to the brain that they are hungry, therefore proving that the stomach and brain are directly connected. Also proving that when a stomach is in “knots” it may not be physically in knots but any negative situation that can leave the brain in sadness is directly connected to the stomach causing that knot like feeling. Also, any anxiety over maybe an extreme exam in the morning can affect your appetite, but have you ever asked yourself why? No, well me either, until now. The reason for this loss of appetite is because the gut is controlled by a system of 100 million nerves that begin in the brain and travel down to the gut, this system is called the enteric nervous system, also known as ENS.
Therefore, next time you find yourself having that gut wrenching feeling in your stomach and you wonder why; just think that any negative emotions that you are thinking about in your brain directly lead to that feeling in your stomach. So instead of dealing with that uncomfortable pain of sadness, anxiety, distress, anger or any negative emotions, stop worrying and smile… it’ll go away!
Sources:
http://www.askdoctork.com/why-does-my-stomach-clench-up-in-knots-when-im-stressed-20131209578
This is a very interesting article! I am taking Cas 100 this semester and I get the “gut-wrenching” feeling even thinking about the presentation, let alone right before I have to present. I did some research on my own to find out why I experience most of this stress in my stomach. In this article I found via the CDC, I discovered that the “knots in our stomach” feeling is caused by the stress hormone called cortisol. In times of stress, this hormone kicks into high gear and shuts down our stomach, inhibiting it from digestion. In some cases, it can even speed up the process of digestion. Thus, we’re left with one queasy and uneasy tummy!
Whenever I have to present in front of a large group, I feel my stomach flipping inside of me, so I know exactly what this article is talking about. Before reading this article, I thought that my nerves were due to being unprepared. I never anticipated that these nerves could be directly linked to my stomach. It is fascinating that the negative emotions could be linked to our stomachs. It makes me wonder what other parts of our body could be linked that scientists have not yet discovered!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post because this is a daily thing that happens to people, and it is never thought why it happens. Whenever I get these feelings in my stomach, I never think about how my stomach is connected to my brain. It is a very interesting topic to think about.
I find this study so interesting and relatable! I never thought twice about the way my stomach hurts before a big exam or presentation but this makes so much sense now! Your emotions have such a big impact on your entire body as a whole. Makes you remember that a positive attitude actually goes a long way in making your entire body feel better about something.
I liked the way you analyzed this topic. Perhaps this why people either lose or gain wait when they’re upset – they’re probably listening to their stomachs!