It is becoming more common knowledge that the gut bacteria can impact our general wellbeing, our mood, and our level of nervous system dysregulation (oh, hello vagus nerve!). But have you ever considered that your gut bugs might have an influence on your personality?

I [Michele} recently came across an article published earlier this year in the Human Microbiome Journal, that explores the relationship between our gut bacteria diversity and our personality.

Are you the social butterfly or prefer smaller gatherings? Do you get stressed easier than others? Maybe it is your gut bacteria… This had my attention!

Could we really be who we are because of our gut bacteria?

This new research conducted by Dr Katerina Johnson at Oxford University, examined stool samples from 655 subjects and correlated their gut bacteria composition to personality traits such as sociability and neuroticism.

Participants were also asked to complete a comprehensive questionnaire that explored other aspects of their life such as their behaviour, health, lifestyle and sociodemographic factors. Personality traits assessed were based on the five-factor model of personality which are grouped under the following 5 main domains.

extraversion and the propensity to seek and enjoy others’ company
agreeableness - defined as trust and cooperation in social interactions
conscientiousness or the attention to detail and focus
neuroticism with a tendency to feel negative emotions
openness, creativity, intellectual curiosity and willingness to seek new experiences

Dr Johnson found that having certain levels of specific bacteria correlated with certain personality traits, and on further analysis showed that people with larger social networks trended to have more diverse gut bacteria - suggesting that social interactions may shape your microbial community! In contrast, it also showed that lower microbial diversity was also associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety.

Research is catching up with the concept that stress and gut bacteria balance are tightly interwoven.

Other novel findings from this report were that gut bacteria diversity was positively related to international travel - perhaps due to exposure to novel microbes and eating different cuisines. It also showed that the more adventurous you ate the more diverse your gut bacteria were, and that those people on a more restricted diet had lower gut bacteria diversity. Furthermore, diversity was greater in people who consumed natural sources of probiotics such as fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, as well as prebiotics foods such as banana, legumes, whole grains, asparagus, onion and leek.

These results add a new dimension to our understanding of our personality traits and reveal that our glorious gut bacteria may also be relevant to our behavioural variation as well as the hundreds of other roles they play in our health!

Click here to read about this study further.

Our modern-day living provides the perfect storm for dysbiosis of our gut bacteria. We lead stressful lives, spend less time with friends and in nature. Our diets are typically lower in fibre, we over sanitise our environments and consume more antibiotics than necessary.

With all these factors influencing our gut microbiome it is no wonder our personalities are changing!

Our gut bugs impact our nervous system

There is a bi-directional relationship between our gut and our brain, and we call it the gut-brain axis.

Being bi-directional, it means that the brain influences the gut, but the gut also influences the brain. And the biggest thing happening in our gut 24/7 is the activity of our gut bugs. On the flip side of that, the biggest thing we have impacting our brain is nervous system stress.

And while this is only one study, it’s interesting that science is beginning to notice these trends and patterns. However it’s not as simple as taking some probiotics and getting on with it, and expecting a personality change. Nothing works in isolation.

If you’re looking for a team who can support you with your nervous system AS WELL AS your gut health, you’ve come to the right place.

The best place to begin is with a chat with naturopath Michele, so she can start you on the journey to a full gut assessment [if indicated], and you can start on your journey to nervous system regulation.