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 shown in one of my own experiments — telling a lie, or discussing uncomfortable life events such as being rejected by a love interest.
It would be challenging to do similar studies during a romantic dinner date (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 about why dating can trigger butterflies in the gut.
Yvette Taché, a neurobiologist and professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at U.C.L.A., has been studying how stress affects the communication between the gut and the brain since the 1980s. When you’re eager for your date to go well or are unsure of how your date feels about you, that stress can cause the brain to release a molecule called corticotropin-releasing hormone, which ramps up adrenaline in the “fight-or-flight” response. (This hormone is also responsible for a racing heart when the meal is over and your date twiddles with their keys by their door — will you be invited in or is the evening finished?) At the same time, this molecule boosts cortisol, a hormone that rises in the first few months of falling in love, but later drops as a relationship stabilizes.
The sensation of “butterflies” likely occurs because, on top of everything else, this molecule also delays our stomachs from emptying, while simultaneously speeding up our colons, Dr. Taché said. This might happen as a means of protection, she said: Our intestines become more permeable — or “leaky” — under stress, which could be harmful if it caused waste from inside our guts to enter our bloodstreams. In theory, she said, halting our stomachs and emptying out our colons might minimize the chances of that happening.
Quelling the butterfly effect
If butterflies catch you at an inopportune moment, there are a few ways to trick your gut into returning to normal, Dr. Keefer said.
One solution is to use deep breathing techniques such as “box breathing” — when you slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of four, then hold your breath for a count of four, then exhale for another count of four and then hold your breath for another count of four. With each four-count, 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 lead to belly pain or the urge to defecate. In such situations, prescription medications like tricyclic antidepressants can help prevent the gut from overreacting. Cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation have also been shown in studies to help in the long-term.
