Emotions like disgust and fear linked to more acidic stomach pH

1 year ago 55

Health

People who reported feeling the most disgusted or frightened after watching a series of videos had a more acidic stomach pH compared with other study participants. It is unclear if these emotions cause the acidity or if an acidic pH makes people feel emotions more intensely

By Sally Adee

12 March 2023

Having a “gut feeling” about something 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 and her colleagues asked 31 men with an average age of 24 to swallow a commercially available smart pill that measures pH, temperature and pressure in the gut.

They then watched a series of videos that elicit disgust, fear and happiness while the …

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