You may be one of those people who loves long car trips, especially when you are a passenger, but there is always something that does not let you enjoy it as you would like. Your stomach is upset!
The feeling of nausea or in the worst case of vomiting during a car trip, is one of the most annoying sticks of the human body. But while many of you may have experienced this sensation, at least it may be those who know what causes it, and according to neuroscientists, it is all the fault of "our idiot brain." As they explain it is the job of the thalamus to interpret all the signals that the body sends.
Usually, when we are on the move the muscles are also in motion, the eyes look at the distance we travel and if you do not know yet, we also rely on the balance sensors in the inner ear. These are small tubes filled with fluid and the movements in this fluid tell us where we are going. Thanks to these tubes we can understand if we are upside down or if we are very fast, since this fluid obeys the laws of physics.
But when we are in the car, the thalamus receives confusing signals. The muscles are at rest while the eyes see that you are in motion. And then there’s the fluid in the inner ear, which vibrates in the small tubes because we’re actually moving. All of these signals together may not be correct (for the thalamus) and the only thing that causes these confusing signals is poisoning. And to eliminate potential poisoning, the first thing our brain does is induce vomiting.
Therefore when traveling, it is suggested that you look at the road instead of focusing on something stationary like a book or cell phone, as this way, you make your brain realize that you are actually on the move.
Source: Bustle
