Hidden Puppeteers: Are We Manipulated by Our Gut?

One of the most iconic episodes of Seinfeld, “The Contest” (Season 4, Episode 11), touches on the theme of the characters' ability to control their behaviors. The characters use expressions like "queen of the castle," "king of the county," or the most famous, "master of their own domain" to illustrate the superiority of conscious will in this context.

I won't spoil it by revealing whether they managed to be masters of their own domains, but the fact is that we often want to act in one direction and end up doing the opposite. We aim for a goal and take actions that move us away from it. Eating healthily is hard. Going to the gym every day is hard. Why can’t we be the queens and kings of our castle?

Each field of knowledge will provide us with different answers, but in this article, I want to bring a neuroscience perspective.

The Hidden Power of Microorganisms

The TEDx Talks YouTube channel featured a lecture by renowned researcher Kathleen McAuliffe: "How microbes affect your psychology." As an authority in microbiology, Kathleen has gained significant recognition with her best-selling book, "This Is Your Brain with Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society".
In this eleven-minute talk, it's easy to see why we struggle to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. We don't have complete control over our domain.

Kathleen begins her talk by discussing the microbiota - a diverse community of bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and other single-celled organisms inhabiting our bodies. She emphasizes that these microbiotas, especially those in the gut, are not mere passengers but active players in human health.

The gut-brain axis establishes an essential bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. This system allows the microbiota to send signals to the brain, influencing various aspects like mood, energy levels, appetite, memory, and possibly even our personality.

If It Happens With Mice, It's Quite Possible It Happens to Us

Kathleen presents some experiments involving "bubble mice," which are mice raised in sterile environments without microbiota. These mice exhibited a lack of curiosity, learning difficulties, and aversion to novelty. However, introducing microbiota early in their lives altered their behavior, making them more similar to normal mice. This experiment demonstrates the critical role of microbiota in cognitive and emotional development.

Thus, the role of microbiota in neuropsychiatric disorders becomes apparent. Kathleen mentions ongoing clinical research investigating the role of gut inflammation in depression and the relationship between gut microbiota and autism spectrum disorders.

The silver lining is that identifying good and bad bacterial actors could lead to new therapies revolutionizing the treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions.

Our Gut and Free Will

This information and experiments might stir discomfort as we reflect on free will and our conscious actions. However, I believe they can also offer some relief from personal pressures, considering that there are other factors influencing our behavior.

I find the fields of biology and neuroscience fascinating as they have revolutionized our understanding of human psychology. These advancements lead us to deeply reflect on the power of microbiota, which, though invisible to the naked eye, are major manipulators in the theater of human behavior.

At the very least, it raises the question: if Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer had taken better care of their microbiota, would the outcome of the bet have been different?