It’s always been difficult for me to make decisions, and recently, I’ve been cursed with the impossible feat of making a few big ones. While this has been stressful and definitely a test of my character, it’s also taught me that my gut feeling often leads me in the right direction.

This isn’t a coincidence, and the saying “trust your gut” is backed by scientific evidence.

Your gut is lined with millions of neurons – so many that it’s referred to as the Enteric Nervous System, or the “Second Brain.”

Your real brain (the one in your head) connects to your second brain (the one in your gut) through a large cable called the Vagus Nerve. This nerve is the longest one in the body and a primary component of the parasympathetic nervous system, a division of the nervous system that conserves energy and promotes relaxation.

While we think of our brain as the sole source of orders for the body, about 80% to 90% of the fibers in the Vagus Nerve actively send sensory information from the gut to the brain. This constant update from the gut is what creates the feeling of butterflies in the stomach while making decisions. But why would the gut send so much data back up to the head?

The gut communicates with the brain to coordinate digestion, manage emotions, and maintain survival. So when you feel your stomach drop with bad news, it’s simply the nerves in your gut activating and sending information up the Vagus Nerve.

It also turns out that the brain is the master of pattern recognition. This means that while the conscious side of the brain works to make pro and con lists, the subconscious is analyzing thousands of past experiences and memories within a split second. It searches for familiar patterns and events in your history that you might not even remember. This scanning process is based on schema, a term that refers to the brain’s organizational patterns.

When your brain recognizes a pattern, whether good or bad, it uses the Vagus Nerve to quickly send you a physical signal. This means that your gut isn’t just reacting to the present, it’s also summarizing all the little lessons you’ve learned throughout life.

This is why you might feel that specific gut feeling before you’ve even finished thinking about something. It’s the most efficient way for your body to comprehend important messages that your conscious mind might never have considered.

It’s important to understand that your gut really does know things that you might not know. So next time you feel that weird gut feeling, you should listen to it, even if you can’t quite explain why you’re doing what you’re doing.