# Vomiting. What's with that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812 "2003-06-18T23:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![golgotha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7bcc69/32.png) [@golgotha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/golgotha)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/1 "2003-06-18T23:44:06Z")
Why do we vomit when we smell something bad (or, in some extreme cases, _see_ or _hear_ something bad, or vomit from fear)? I mean, fair enough that we throw up if we ingest something yucky, because if it’s wrong and it’s in our stomachs it’s a good idea for our body to want to get rid of it. But what’s the big deal with vomiting because we’ve sniffed (or whatever) something disgusting? Surely there’s no point in puking up our guts just because the cheese is a bit whiffy? ---
**Author:** ![JRootabega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@JRootabega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRootabega)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/2 "2003-06-18T23:53:01Z")
You’d probably be less likely to eat that diseased, rotting mastodon carcass if it made you want to hurl than if you just **knew** it smelled bad. ---
**Author:** ![stypticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@stypticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stypticus)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/3 "2003-06-18T23:54:59Z")
Why did I read that as “diseased, rotting macaroon carcass”? ---
**Author:** ![Martiju](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@Martiju](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martiju)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/4 "2003-06-19T14:52:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JRootabega \* > \*\*You’d probably be less likely to eat that diseased, rotting mastodon carcass if it made you want to hurl than if you just **knew** it smelled bad. \*\* Yep. And seeing that some 80% of what we call taste is actually smell you’re less likely to put it in your mouth either. J. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/5 "2003-06-19T14:54:37Z")
mmmm, rotting macaroons… ---
**Author:** ![Sassafras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Sassafras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/6 "2003-06-19T16:00:40Z")
I throw up when I get upset. What’s with this? What am I doing to myself to cause this to happen? Kinda nullifies my “fight or flight” response… ---
**Author:** ![Engywook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bc8723/32.png) [@Engywook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engywook)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/7 "2003-06-19T18:24:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kristi \* > \*\*I throw up when I get upset. What’s with this? What am I doing to myself to cause this to happen? Kinda nullifies my “fight or flight” response… \*\* No, actually that’s part of the fight or flight response. Autonomic arousal redistributes blood to the muscles and the heart so that they work more efficiently. This draws blood away from the digestive tract. As a result, if you’ve eaten well, the stomach can’t do much with that load except eject it. I would WAG that at the time this mechanism evolved, a full stomach was hard to come by for most animals, much less a handicap in a life/death situation. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/8 "2003-06-19T18:49:07Z")
I just get the feeling of being very close to vomiting when I’m upset, although I rarely “achieve” finality. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2003, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomiting-whats-with-that/182812/9 "2003-06-19T18:56:15Z")
Involuntary high velocity esophogeal reverse peristalsis sucks.