Is There Such Thing As A “Spidey-Sense”?

“Johnny, were you playing ball in the house?” your mom asks as you and she stare at the broken vase on the floor. Have you ever noticed your heart starting to pound just before telling a lie? It turns out that the body, not only the brain, can bring up emotions to influence our decisions. A racing heartbeat and sweaty palms, just before you do something risky, could be your body warning you about your upcoming actions. Scientists have discovered that our thoughts and emotions interact with our bodies to influence the decisions we make—often without our awareness. This phenomenon is called the somatic marker hypothesis. In this article, using the famous story of Phineas Gage, we explain how various brain areas work together with the body to generate a real-life “spidey-sense”!