Want to hear about a messed-up study? Of course you do.

Here’s how scientists measure the will to live: Separate a young rat from his mother, throw him in a pool of water with no exit, and see how long it takes him to stop optimistically swimming in circles and start sadly treading water as he waits for the inevitable sink to the bottom. It’s a test to measure how long it takes to give up on life.

Don’t worry, the rat lives through it. We’re only bringing this up because in one such experiment in 2010, scientists found if the rat had been consuming it was less likely to suffer from that anxiety and despair after being separated from its mother and tossed to its watery

That’s right: Probiotics—the so-called “good” bacteria that are often found and help with digestion—might increase our will to live.