Your stomach may very well be a key player in keeping your mood balanced. New research suggests links between the gut microbiome (the microorganisms that live in any environment) and your mental health. A recent study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found that transferring the gut microbiota of depressed human patients into rats induced depressive symptoms in rodents, opening up a whole new realm of possible bacteria-based treatments. The gut and brain talk to each other through nerve signals, the release of gut or stress hormones, and other pathways.

We have long known that emotions can directly alter gut function. Lately, research at Harvard Medical School has discovered that it works the other way too: our gut actually has an effect on our brain. It goes both ways. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion as well. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation – all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut. Therefore, a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.