Gut Instincts And Feelings

The phrases, "I am minded to..." or "I think that..." or "My reaction.." etc. we may well assume come from what is going on between the ears.  For some time now, well as long as science got going, we have believed that the brain is boss.

In olden times it was common to believe that it all lay in the heart or the soul or both, depending on beliefs.  For most the driving force of our nature was the heart and the heart ruled the head.

Recent research now questions these simple but understandable ideas.  E Science News now advises us that in reality it may the bacteria in the gut that is now dominant.  But this is more complicated in that there are a lot of different ones, diversity if you like, that contend to rule our moods and actions.

It is all about signalling molecules emerging from the gut microbiome manipulating behaviour through the vagus nerve to be technical.  The article explains more fully.  I think this is what it is saying.  But in other words, there is a whole new way of looking at who we are and what we are.

Roll over Freud, Jung and many others, your time has come and the cook it seems made more sense than they did.    "I've made some semolina pudding, it will do you good", as I recall.  There have been great thinkers in the past who have thought along those lines.

Bill Shankly, Manager of the all conquering Liverpool team of long ago famously insisted on a good big steak, chips and peas before a match to stoke up his players resolve.  How we all laughed at this strange notion that ran against known science at the time.

But today, I lunched on a good big steak, chips and peas.

Tomorrow the world.