The Gut Bacteria That Improve Your General Decision-Making In Life

As one YouTube commenter said, “Trust your gut, but make sure you have a trustworthy gut first”!

Dr. Tracey Marks, psychiatrist, explains how:

Gut feelings and more

As you probably know, the gut and brain communicate via the vagus nerve, making gut bacteria highly influential.

How influential? Here are some key points from the video:

• Healthier gut bacteria are linked to more cautious risk-taking and future-oriented decisions.
• Gut bacteria influence serotonin (95% produced in the gut), dopamine, and neurotransmitters essential for decision-making.
• People with good gut health prioritize fairness in decision-making.
• The gut influences decision-making via neurotransmitter production, vagus nerve signaling, and inflammation control.

Gut bacteria produce metabolites (beyond the neurotransmitters mentioned above!) that affect nerve circuits for emotion and executive function. These postbiotics (postbiotics = byproducts of gut bacteria fermenting prebiotics) play a crucial role in brain health. Examples of things they make include short-chain fatty acids (butyrate), enzymes, peptides, and vitamins, which between them strengthen gut lining, reduce inflammation, regulate serotonin, and support immune function. Scientists are even exploring postbiotics for treating metabolic and inflammatory diseases.

Timeline of brain-gut axis health improvements

• Days 4–14: gut bacterial composition starts changing (you probably won’t notice anything brainwise, but you may get gas; this is normal and temporary)
• Weeks 2–6: mood and mental clarity improve (you’ll start feeling it here, most likely first in an abstract “life seems more beautiful” sort of way, plus less brain fog)
• Months 2–3: long-term neural adaptations form (this is where the decision-making improvements come in, so you’ll need some patience about this, but the mood boost you’ve now had since weeks 2–6 should make the next bit even easier).

Dr. Marks’ suggestions, to make the most of this:

1. Diversify diet: aim for 30* different plant-based foods per week!
2. Try fermented foods: start with small amounts of kimchi, kefir, etc.
3. Increase fiber intake: add chia seeds or flaxseeds to meals!
4. Limit artificial sweeteners: many of them disrupt gut bacteria.
5. Maintain regular meal times: supports bacterial circadian rhythms.
6. Don’t rely solely on supplements; whole foods are more effective!

*this is not a random number out of a hat; there is science behind the number! Here’s the science.

For more on all of this, enjoy:

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Want to learn more?

You might also like:

Genius Gut: 10 New Gut-Brain Hacks to Revolutionise Your Energy, Mood, and Brainpower – by Dr. Emily Leeming

Take care!