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Carrion Luggage #1103067 added December 6, 2025 at 9:34am
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Sherlock Would Know
Science: investigating the really important stuff since 1666.
The Number One reason to go Number Two?
You've downed a cup of strong coffee, and soon you have an urge to poop.
You may be wondering how those of us who don't drink coffee can manage to pinch a loaf every now and then. I mean, sometimes I'm backed up for days or weeks, watching my friends who do drink coffee answer the call of doody and return with a satisfied smile on their faces. I'm jealous.
...Of course I'm joking. Everybody poops.
After you've done your business, you feel a sense of relief. So why does that bowel movement feel so satisfying?
You know, science isn't really about answering "why" questions. They tend to multiply themselves. Better to ask "how."
There are many physical, behavioral and psychological factors that could contribute to this feeling.
I'd think there would be a sound evolutionary reason for it: if it hurts, you don't do it as much, and if you don't do it, you get sick and die, and if you get sick and die early enough, your genes don't get passed on.
As the bowels fill up, nerve endings communicate an uncomfortable stretching sensation to the brain.
Except, presumably, in people who have somehow wrecked 'em.
Typically, thanks to the external sphincter, we don't immediately poop.
Young-person-like typing detected.
Emptying out the bowels by releasing stool relieves this pressure, which feels good.
Can't recommend the smell, though.
"When you relieve the distension, areas like the anterior cingulate gyrus and the insula show a reward response," she said. These regions of the brain play a role in reacting to pain and relief of pain.
Okay. That's still not "why."
The gut communicates to the brain via the vagus nerve, one of the major cranial nerves. Evacuating the bowels stimulates the vagus nerve. This can lower a person's blood pressure and heart rate, creating a relaxing feeling, Person said.
This feels like a circular argument. Stimulating the vagus nerve makes you feel good. Dropping the kids off at the pool stimulates the vagus nerve. Therefore, laying cable feels good.
Don't get me wrong; it's good to investigate the mechanisms behind bodily functions. It might help doctors figure out how to fix you. But it's still a "how" thing, not a "why" thing.
Or maybe I'm just full of shit. |
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