Ah! Wisdom! An ever-elusive trait that brings much peace and comfort in life. In fact, studies have found that being less wise is associated with feeling lonelier. But what if wisdom and loneliness were actually related to physical attributes in humans, like their gut microbes?

In a new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, scientists at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine report they may have found a link between wisdom, loneliness, and microbial diversity of the gut.

“We found that lower levels of loneliness and higher levels of wisdom, compassion, social support, and engagement were associated with greater phylogenetic richness and diversity of the gut microbiome,” said in a statement first author Tanya T. Nguyen, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine.