We have 2 brains. One in our belly. It consists of sheaths of neurons embedded in the walls of the long tube of our gut, or alimentary canal, which measures about nine meters end to end from the esophagus to the anus. This second brain contains some 100 million neurons, more than in either the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous system. Although its influence is far-reaching, the second brain is not the seat of any conscious thoughts or decision-making. But a big part of our emotions are probably influenced by the nerves in our gut, like butterflies in the stomach. Read more in Scientific American 