The Book of Tells (Peter Collett)[unlocked]

THE BOOK OF TELLS
think of yourself as a tube through which your food passes,
it's not surprising that your emotions affect the essential
parts of you. The real reason why your moods are so
intimately connected with your digestive system is that it
has a completely integrated system of nerves called the
enteric nervous system. The enteric nervous system, which
is almost a brain in its own right, responds to the same
neurotransmitters as the central nervous system, and that's
why changes in one so often cause changes in the other.
When people feel anxious, several reflexes associated
with the digestive system come into play:
• DRY MOUTH. One of the early signs that someone is
feeling anxious is a dry mouth. This is produced by a
temporary shutdown of the saliva glands. There are visual
as well as auditory cues that indicate when someone has
a dry mouth - not only does the person look like he's
chewing sawdust, but his voice also sounds dry and
mechanical.
• COUGHING. When people become anxious they often
get a tickling sensation in their throat, which makes them
cough, sometimes uncontrollably. The feeling that there
is an excess of saliva at the back of the throat also causes
coughing.
• SWALLOWING. After President Clinton had uttered
those famous words, 'I did not have sexual relations with
that woman, Miss Lewinsky', he looked down and then
swallowed hard. Most people, when they feel anxious,
have an overwhelming desire to clear their throat by
swallowing. Women can usually achieve this without
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