Its a common phenomenon for people everywhere.
What Is This Butterflies in the Stomach Sensation?
If you notice, butterflies usually occur when we are nervous,anxious, or excited.
Alina Rudya/Bell Collective / Getty Images
In those cases, you were likely excited.
How Science Explains the Butterfly Feeling
Scientists trace this sensation to a few things.
The first is a chemical that is released calleddopamine, the feel-good chemical.
Dopamine helps us feel happy during pleasurable activities, like when youre flirting or having sex.
The surge of norepinephrine in your central nervous system also contributes to feeling butterflies.Norepinephrineis both a hormone and neurotransmitter.
As a neurotransmitter, it works as a chemical messenger between your nerve cells.
Norepinephrine is released during times of stress or fear when the fight or flight response kicks in.
Similarly, its released during those romantic moments of attraction or arousal.
Research has in fact shown that romantic love shares many characteristics with mammalian attraction.
The third way science explains the phenomenon we call butterflies in the stomach has to do with thegut-brain axis.
In effect, youre experiencing the gut and brains remarkable connection.
The digestive system even has its own nervous system called our enteric nervous system (ENS).
So, that attraction, excitement, nervousness, anxiety or stress creates undulations in your gut.
Our bodys sophisticated nervous system is communicating with us.
In everyday language, we call what were experiencing in this case, butterflies in the stomach.
Do Butterflies in the Stomach Mean Love?
When people describe the signs oflove at first sight, they sometimes describe an instant attraction or knowing.
They may also talk about experiencing butterflies in their stomach, stomach distress or aeuphoricfeeling.
Women in love showed higher testosterone levels while men in love showed lower levels of FSH and testosterone.
But when tested 12 and 24 months later, their hormones reverted to normal levels.
Its important to note that those flutters are therefore not signaling to you that this is everlasting love.
Usually temporary, these flutters are signaling to you that you are nervous or thrilled about the situation.
Love is built over time based on caring, respect and intimacy.
Its when you deeply bond with someone else and your relationship can go the distance.
If youre confused about your romantic feelings for someone, take thisquiz.
Can Butterflies in the Stomach Be a Bad Thing?
Having butterflies or gut-level signals can be a good thing.
If our gut warns us to avoid a certain person, we should trust what its saying.
Our gut has valuable information that its communicating to help us avoid danger.
Sometimes gut sensations and what people may erroneously call butterflies in the stomach signal a gastrointestinal disorder.
Whatever the source, its wise to seek medical attention about this.
We now know that our emotional state affects our physical state and vice versa.
If left untreated, these conditions can lead to a poor quality of life.
Dysregulation of the system is implicated in the origination and continuation of several stress-sensitive disorders.
Find out which option is the best for you.
In research, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other psychological interactions were effective for those suffering from IBS.
No need to worry as thats a pretty normal reaction to have.
Here are ways tomanage the stressand respond before it gets the better of you.
Most of the time its nothing to worry about.
Often temporary, it will likely pass.
But if you constantly have this sensation, youre advised to get treatment.
You might be experiencing some kind of panic, stress or anxiety disorder.
Fisher HE, Aron A, Brown LL.Romantic love: a mammalian brain system for mate choice.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci.
Published 2017 Aug 17. doi:10.1007/s11894-017-0590-9
