Periodic Reporting for period 4 - INtheSELF (Inside the Self: from interoception to self- and other-awareness)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-03-01 al 2023-08-31
Modern psychology has long focused on the importance of the body as the basis of the self. However, this focus concerned the exteroceptive body, that is, the body as perceived from the outside, as when we recognize ourselves in the mirror. This influential approach has neglected another important dimension of the body, namely the interoceptive body, that is, the body as perceived from within, as for example when one feels her racing heart. In psychology, research on interoception has focused mainly on its role in emotion. INtheSELF, however, goes beyond this approach, aiming instead to show how interoception and interoceptive awareness serve the unity and stability of the self, analogous to the role of interoception in maintaining physiological homeostasis. To test this hypothesis we go beyond the division between interoception and exteroception to consider their integration in self-awareness. INtheSELF will develop novel, pioneering methods for the study of causal relationships between interoceptive and exteroceptive awareness (WP1), allowing us to test how these two sources of information about the self interact to reflect the balance between stability and adaptation (WP2); how their inter-relation is built in parallel to the development of self-awareness in early childhood and adolescence (WP3); and the role that their interaction has for social relatedness (WP4). INtheSELF provides an alternative to existing psychological theories of the self insofar it goes beyond the apparent antagonism between the awareness of the self from the outside and from within, to consider their dynamic integration. In doing so, INtheSELF aims to elucidate for the first time how humans navigate the challenging balance between inside and out, in terms of both the individual’s natural (interoception vs. exteroception) and social (self vs. others) embodiment in the world. The questions we are asking are timely, and the answers that INtheSELF will give will be impactful within and beyond academia. In a society which constantly exposes us to external, idealised images of the body and the self, my project stands to offer a unique window of insight into how our self can be built from the inside out.
During the first half of the project period we have done good progress on a number of fronts. To recap, the INtheSELF project investigates the role of interoception for self- and social-awareness. Broadly speaking, interoception concerns the processing, perception and awareness of signals originating from within the body. . INtheSELF aims to show how interoception and interoceptive awareness serve the unity and stability of the self, analogous to the role of interoception in maintaining physiological homeostasis. To test this hypothesis we go beyond the division between interoception and exteroception to consider their integration in self-awareness. INtheSELF will develop novel, pioneering methods for the study of causal relationships between interoceptive and exteroceptive awareness (WP1), allowing us to test how these two sources of information about the self interact to reflect the balance between stability and adaptation (WP2); how their inter-relation is built in parallel to the development of self-awareness in early childhood and adolescence (WP3); and the role that their interaction has for social relatedness (WP4). The following results have been achieved (broken down by WP):
WP1 INtheSELF TOOLBOX aimed at addressing hierarchical, horizontal and causal relations across different levels of interoceptive processing, and at the development of a novel measures of interoception. We have made substantial progress to meet the aims of this WP as we have developed and validated new ways of non-invasive manipulation of interoception, new tasks of measuring interoceptive accuracy and we continue with a more nuanced psychophysical approach to the psychophysiological understanding of interception (work in progress). Our approach was multimodal, combining behavioural, subjective, physiological and neuroscientific data.
WP2 iAM is focused on the interactions between interoceptive and exteroceptive signals for self-awareness. We have met several of the objectives of this WP by showing for example how interoceptive signals can change the ability to recognize one’s own face, as well as how interoceptive signals can also inform our sense of agency, that is, the feeling of control over one’s own actions/
WP3 iDEVELOP is focused on two longitudinal studies that trace the origins and the effects of interoceptive awareness developmentally, in two critical periods, in early infancy and early adolescence. As these are longitudinal studies the data will be available towards the end of the project, but we are already see interesting results on the relation between interoception and body image in early adolescence that are indicative of the causal role that interoception may play in shaping our affective attitudes towards our body-appearance.
WP4 iRELATE is focused on the role that interoception plays in shaping our relations with other people. Through the development of novel tasks we were able to show how interoceptive signals and awareness thereof may shape people’s empathic responses towards others.
The findings support the model we put forward of social relatedness based on the role of interoception for the stability of the self.
Overall, the progress is consistent with the milestones we have set out in our project planning but of course the current COVID-19 pandemic creates risks and delays for which the research team cannot unilaterally take action.
WP1 INtheSELF TOOLBOX aimed at addressing hierarchical, horizontal and causal relations across different levels of interoceptive processing, and at the development of a novel measures of interoception. We have made substantial progress to meet the aims of this WP as we have developed and validated new ways of non-invasive manipulation of interoception, new tasks of measuring interoceptive accuracy and we continue with a more nuanced psychophysical approach to the psychophysiological understanding of interception (work in progress). Our approach was multimodal, combining behavioural, subjective, physiological and neuroscientific data.
WP2 iAM is focused on the interactions between interoceptive and exteroceptive signals for self-awareness. We have met several of the objectives of this WP by showing for example how interoceptive signals can change the ability to recognize one’s own face, as well as how interoceptive signals can also inform our sense of agency, that is, the feeling of control over one’s own actions/
WP3 iDEVELOP is focused on two longitudinal studies that trace the origins and the effects of interoceptive awareness developmentally, in two critical periods, in early infancy and early adolescence. As these are longitudinal studies the data will be available towards the end of the project, but we are already see interesting results on the relation between interoception and body image in early adolescence that are indicative of the causal role that interoception may play in shaping our affective attitudes towards our body-appearance.
WP4 iRELATE is focused on the role that interoception plays in shaping our relations with other people. Through the development of novel tasks we were able to show how interoceptive signals and awareness thereof may shape people’s empathic responses towards others.
The findings support the model we put forward of social relatedness based on the role of interoception for the stability of the self.
Overall, the progress is consistent with the milestones we have set out in our project planning but of course the current COVID-19 pandemic creates risks and delays for which the research team cannot unilaterally take action.
The INtheSELF project has already produced empirical findings and contributed theoretical insights that go beyond the state of the art.
For example, we have used a recently developed technique to target the vagus nerve , one of the main neural pathways of communication between the viscera and brain. We use a non-invasive pattern of vagus stimulation through its auricular branch and showed specific results in improving people’s accuracy in perceiving an important interoceptive signals such as their heartbeat.
In addition, we started and continue the first longitudinal study in pre-puberty girls and we measure their ability to perceived internal states , such as their heartbeats, and we link this ability to their body-image (dis)satisfaction. We found that puberty moderates the relationship between interoception and body dissatisfaction, using a body image task. For those that have shown more signs of puberty, the higher their interoceptive accuracy, then the lower their body dissatisfaction. However, girls who are just starting puberty or haven't entered puberty yet, we find that the higher their interoception, the more dissatisfied they are with their body-image. This study continues, but already the results provide tentative support to our hypothesis that interoception may be in important and causal factor in the development of affective attitudes towards one’s body-image. This line of research is important as it holds the promise of providing evidence for the causal role of interoception.
Lastly, we developed a series of innovative studies that show how and when interoception is not simply important for awareness of our one’s states, but it also shapes how we relate to other people’s emotions, and we therefore go beyond the state of the art by bridging interoception with social cognition.
We hope that during the second half of the project, our hypotheses will be further consolidated by the empirical results of the INtheSELF project.
For example, we have used a recently developed technique to target the vagus nerve , one of the main neural pathways of communication between the viscera and brain. We use a non-invasive pattern of vagus stimulation through its auricular branch and showed specific results in improving people’s accuracy in perceiving an important interoceptive signals such as their heartbeat.
In addition, we started and continue the first longitudinal study in pre-puberty girls and we measure their ability to perceived internal states , such as their heartbeats, and we link this ability to their body-image (dis)satisfaction. We found that puberty moderates the relationship between interoception and body dissatisfaction, using a body image task. For those that have shown more signs of puberty, the higher their interoceptive accuracy, then the lower their body dissatisfaction. However, girls who are just starting puberty or haven't entered puberty yet, we find that the higher their interoception, the more dissatisfied they are with their body-image. This study continues, but already the results provide tentative support to our hypothesis that interoception may be in important and causal factor in the development of affective attitudes towards one’s body-image. This line of research is important as it holds the promise of providing evidence for the causal role of interoception.
Lastly, we developed a series of innovative studies that show how and when interoception is not simply important for awareness of our one’s states, but it also shapes how we relate to other people’s emotions, and we therefore go beyond the state of the art by bridging interoception with social cognition.
We hope that during the second half of the project, our hypotheses will be further consolidated by the empirical results of the INtheSELF project.