Butterflies in the stomach: why do we feel it? – 02/23/2023 – Balance

What is the biology behind the “butterflies in your stomach” feeling when people are excited about a new relationship?

Falling in love can be a turbulent experience, from the awkward pauses during a first dinner as you don’t know what to say next, to the electricity of a crush and the butterflies in your stomach when things really start to pick up.

Feeling “butterflies in your stomach” – a sudden flutter in the pit of your stomach – happens to everyone and can occur in high-pressure situations: falling in love, going into a job interview, or waiting your turn at karaoke.

Here’s what experts say is behind that famous fluttering sensation.

The gut-brain connection

The brain and gut are in constant communication through an intricate network of nerve fibers called the vagus nerve. This information superhighway, as it’s often called, runs between the brain and the abdomen and is the reason why our thoughts affect our guts in such a unique way. Remember your high school biology class: all you had to do was think of food for Pavlov’s dog to start salivating.

The gut, which is sometimes called the “second brain” because it contains more than 100 million nerve cells that send and receive messages to and from the brain, can also dramatically affect our thoughts, says Laurie Keefer, professor of psychiatry and medicine at division of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.

“The bacteria in our gut have the ability to signal the emotional centers in our brain,” says Keefer. “They can affect how anxious we are, how depressed we are and even our resilience – how adaptable we are to change.”

Most of this signaling happens unconsciously, says Michael Gershon, professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University. That is, of course, until you’re on the fence about whether to lean in for a first kiss with your boyfriend and suddenly your stomach starts to turn.

What does love have to do with it?

While it might be tempting to assume that these “butterflies” are driven by love, Keefer points out that the fluttering in the gut is actually a byproduct of a less romantic but inevitable part of the whole process: emotional tension.

In a 1949 study that investigated how different types of strain affect the gut, for example, researchers examined the colons of healthy medical students using a hollow metal tube with a light and lens at the end. With one student, the researchers suggested that they had discovered cancer in his rectum (when, in reality, his colon looked normal). As they relayed these false findings — even showing the student a “biopsy” of his tumor, which was actually a piece of potato — they saw the student’s colon begin to spasm. After they revealed the hoax and the student realized he didn’t have cancer after all, his colon immediately relaxed.

Scientists have also shown that loud, cacophonous words and sounds played in different ears at the same time can disturb the rhythms of our guts, as can – as was demonstrated in one of my own experiments – telling a lie or discussing uncomfortable life events. , like being rejected by a love interest.

It would be challenging to do similar studies over a romantic dinner (imagine having a probe in your colon while trying to make small talk at a restaurant), but scientists have used decades of research on gut-brain communication to theorize why dating can stir up the ” butterflies” of the intestine.

Yvette Taché, a neurobiologist and professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, has studied how stress affects gut-brain communication since the 1980s.

When you’re anxious for your date to go well or you’re not sure how the other person feels about you, that stress can cause your brain to release a molecule called corticotropin-releasing hormone, which increases the adrenaline of the “fight or fight” response. to escape”. (This hormone is also responsible for the heart racing when the meal is over and your crush plays with the keys by the door – will you be invited in or is the night over?) At the same time, this molecule raises levels of the hormone cortisol, which rises in the first few months after falling in love, but then drops as the relationship stabilizes.

The sensation probably occurs because, in addition to everything else, this molecule also slows down the emptying of the stomach and, at the same time, speeds up the colon, says Taché. This can happen as a means of protection, she points out: our intestines become more leaky — or “leaky” — under stress, which can be harmful if waste products inside our guts get into the bloodstream.

In theory, he points out, disrupting our stomachs and emptying our colons can minimize the chances of that happening.

Containing the ‘butterfly effect’

If the butterflies catch you at an inopportune moment, there are a few ways to trick your gut back into normalcy, says Keefer.

One solution is to use deep breathing techniques such as “box breathing” – where you inhale slowly through your nose for a count of four, then hold your breath for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four, and then hold your breath for a count of four. In each period, imagine drawing the side of a square until you visualize a completely closed box.

People who have the most common disorders of the gut-brain connection, such as chronic indigestion or irritable bowel syndrome, know that butterflies can become a real problem, especially if they cause an upset stomach or an urge to have a bowel movement. In such situations, prescription medications like tricyclic antidepressants can help prevent an overreaction of the gut. Studies have shown that cognitive-behavioral therapy and meditation also help in the long run.

Still, the occasional butterflies in the stomach is usually a harmless phenomenon, even if it does add a little chaos to the first date. Everyone has moments when their stomach and intestines seem to have a mind of their own — and in a way they do.

As with any relationship though, sometimes the brain and gut just need to communicate well.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves