Going for a poo is good for your mental health, says study

A new study has found that dropping a few logs in the porcelain throne is good for your mental health.

Now, poo might be something that rarely makes its way into polite conversation for obvious reasons, but perhaps it's a bodily function that we need to discuss more, especially if it helps to improve people's mental health.

This is the incredible moment a whale pooed into the ocean:

According to scientists, relieving yourself in this way can have a positive effect on your mental health, as per the Metro. This is because feeling constipated can have an effect on a person's mental wellbeing as well as their physical.

This discovery was made by the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, Massachusetts. Their study examined whether there was a correlation between depression and people suffering from chronic diarrhea and constipation.

Sarah Ballou, a lead author, said that they found that depressed people are "significantly" more likely to suffer from chronic diarrhea and constipation and that "our findings provide support for the relationship between mood and specific bowel habits."

Credit: Pexels

So why is this? Well, it's because serotonin - aka the happy hormone - exists primarily in the gut.

Dr. Gill Hart, a leading biochemist and scientific director of food intolerance testing at YorkTest Laboratories, explained: "If you are experiencing irregular bowel activity, you could indeed also encounter low mood and there are studies that back this. The gut is home to hundreds of trillions of microorganisms that form part of the gut-microbiome-brain-axis.

"Mood states have been linked with the composition of the microbiome in mentally and physically healthy adults. If your gut is unhappy, it's likely to affect your overall well-being too, both physically and mentally."

That's why it's so important to ensure the fuel you're putting into your body is good as it will help keep everything harmonized.

Credit: Pexels

Harr added: "If things are not working consistently it can affect mood. But when constipation is finally relieved, a person's mood is elevated as the gut is working more efficiently."

So, sometimes, the answer really is simple: a poo.