Defecating can bring about several advantageous effects on your body. Here’s the rationale underpinning why it can be pleasant.(Image credit: Peter Cade/Getty Images)
You’ve ingested a cup of potent coffee, and before long you have the need to defecate. Once you’ve finished, you experience a sensation of comfort. So what makes that bowel activity feel so satisfying?
“Despite it being one of the most typical acts humans carry out, I still believe we don’t entirely understand how bowel movements work and why they result in relief,” Dr. Hannibal Person, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, mentioned to Live Science. A number of physical, behavioral, and mental elements could play a role in this feeling.
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“We can grip our anus, tense our pelvic base, even contract additional muscles, like our hamstring, to somewhat prevent things from coming out,” Person stated. Nonetheless, this discomforting pressure advises us to find a restroom.
Releasing stool while emptying out the bowels diminishes this pressure, creating a pleasing effect. This notion has been supported in functional MRI examinations of the brain, as stated by Dr. Lucinda Harris, a gastroenterologist and motility expert at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Arizona.
“When you alleviate the swelling, areas such as the anterior cingulate gyrus and the insula demonstrate a reward reaction,” she noted. These areas of the brain are involved in reacting to both pain and its abatement.
The gut interacts with the brain via the vagus nerve, a key cranial nerve. Emptying the bowels activates the vagus nerve. This can bring down a person’s blood pressure and pulse, leading to a soothing sensation, according to Person. Alleviating pressure and pain can further reinforce the behavior in a favorable manner.
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While the impact on the vagus nerve is better understood, a bowel movement might also stimulate the pudendal nerve, Person suggested. This primary nerve of the pelvis aids in managing the tension of the pelvic floor.
Holding excrement tenses the pelvic floor muscles. “If individuals are resisting or tense, it generates more pain and stress in the region,” Harris stated. “Instructing individuals to ease those muscles is exceedingly crucial.”
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Dani LevissSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor
Dani Leviss is a freelance science journalist and proofreader residing in New Jersey. She frequently explores topics involving water, fauna, artwork, chemistry, and technology. She has contributed to Scholastic, Hakai Magazine, IEEE Earthzine, and News-O-Matic. Dani holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Drew University in New Jersey and a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University.
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