If you’ve got a healthy gut, you are probably in a good position to take good decisions. I know nothing about probiotics , don’t take them and can’t comment about the state of my gut.

But I’m intrigued by  research from Maastricht University

The study shows that people who improve their gut microbiota by taking probiotics start to exhibit different behaviors. They take fewer risks and better assess time effects. Probiotics consist of healthy bacteria that reduce intestinal complaints and allergic reactions and ensure a better metabolism. This favorable effect ultimately works on the functioning of the brain and therefore also on our cognition, behavior, and decision-making.

That was back in 2022, but more scientists have been looking into this recently. A new group has decided to test people’s behavior before and after taking gut-drugs. What they came up with was an experiment involving a test group

Half of the participants received a mixture of prebiotics and probiotics, … , while the other half received a placebo for 7 weeks. Their microbiome composition was analyzed at the beginning and end of the experiment.

“The participants continued their usual diet. The prebiotics allowed the bacteria to colonize the gut more easily,” the researcher explained.

Measuring Sensitivity to Injustice

Participants were invited to take part in a behavioral test called the “ultimatum game,” before and after receiving the supplementation. The principle is to allocate a sum of money to a player, who must then share it, fairly or not, with a second player.

The second player can accept or reject the offer, especially if deemed unfair. In this case, neither player receives any money, which is called “altruistic punishment.” Indeed, the second player sacrifices their share of money to “punish” the first player for their lack of generosity. This game experimentally measures sensitivity to injustice.

The study results showed that participants who received the supplements were more likely to reject unequal offers at the end of the 7 weeks, even when the imbalance was slight. The placebo group behaved identically during the first and second test sessions.

“This suggests that modifying the gut microbiome made the participants less rational and more human, more sensitive to social considerations,” 

It’s this last paragraph (my bold) , that intrigues me. Is rationality inhuman? If so, I’m calling the majority of business decisions for aiming to tip the scales “unfairly”. This after all is the basis of  marketing.

But it’s much more interesting to think of this from the point of view of the person being offered money. If you knew that your turning down an unfair offer would lead to both you and your counterparty would lose everything, would you call out the injustice? Or would you grudgingly accept the lousy offer as “better than nothing”?

Clearly , people with a good gut feeling, refuse to profit from an unjust deal while those with a lousy gut will take the money and run.

Can we apply this logic to pensions? Is there such a thing as a good gut feeling which improves ESG? Is it fair to say that a stable constitution leads to a socially just system that puts what is right before short term financial gain. Or must we accept that the profit motive trumps such fiduciary considerations?

And can we learn from human biology when we consider good governance? A settled tummy deliver socially just decisions, does  settled government lead to a better society or should we look to a dyspeptic and choleric decision making body to deliver disruptive , anti-social but profitable decisions?

A good gut feeling  means we put natural justice over profit.