Having a "gut feeling" may
not just be a metaphor. New research suggests that feeling intense emotions is
accompanied by changes to our stomach's pH.
Giuseppina Porciello at the Sapienza
University of Rome, Italy, and her team asked 31 men with an average age of 24
to take a smart pill that measures pH in the gut.
The men then watched videos that
elicit disgust, fear, and happiness while the sensor travelled down their
gastrointestinal tract, before being passed naturally.
After each video, the participants
completed a questionnaire to rate the intensity of their emotions.
When they watched the disgusting and
scary videos, their stomach's pH was more acidic than it was at a baseline
measurement.
Those with the most acidic pH
reported feeling the most disgusted and fearful. It is unclear whether a
particularly acidic stomach heightens these emotions or if experiencing these
emotions results in more acidity.
Those with the most acidic pH reported feeling the most disgusted and fearful. It is unclear whether a particularly acidic stomach heightens these emotions or if experiencing these emotions results in more acidity.
The participants who reported
feeling happy, regardless of the video they watched, had a less acidic pH in
their stomach.
Negative emotions may induce acid
secretion, says Ignacio Rebollo at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in
Nuthetal.
To establish whether our emotions influence
our stomach's acidity, or vice versa, Porciello says she and her team could
administer proton pump inhibitors — which stop the stomach lining from
producing too much acid — to see if this correlates with a fall in the
intensity of negative emotions.
An acidic stomach may heighten
negative emotions or the emotions may cause more acidity
Christopher Bettinger at Carnegie
Mellon University, Pennsylvania, says measuring gas composition or chemical
concentrations could help the researchers "gain more granular
insight" into the relationship between our gut and emotions.
Porciello and her team are now
carrying out a similar study on female participants.
Read more Odd and Bizarre
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