Introducing the brain: interoception may make our self sense (Introduction)

by David Turell , Monday, June 28, 2021, 19:07 (1242 days ago) @ David Turell

A whole new study of self from the viewpoint of our feeling our insides:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-06-explores-perception-internal-bodily-concept.html

"In contrast with other animal species on Earth, over the course of their life, humans can develop a fairly clear idea of who they are as individuals and what sets them apart from others. This abstract concept of self is known to be fragmented and fuzzy in individuals with certain psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and dissociative identity disorder.

"Researchers at the Aglioti Lab, part of Sapienza University of Rome recently authored a review paper examining experimental evidence suggesting that the birth, maintenance and loss of this abstract concept of self is deeply tied to what is known as interoception. This refers to an individual's sense of his/her internal physiological signals.

"'A couple of years ago, we discovered a new bodily illusion here at the Aglioti Lab," Alessandro Monti, one of the researchers who carried out the study, told Medical Xpress. "This 'embreathment' illusion, as we called it, suggests that your concept of yourself (i.e., who you think you are) is partly shaped by feelings that come from your viscera, particularly from the heart and the lungs. We discussed our work with Prof. Anna Borghi, a good friend and colleague of ours."

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The results of their analyses suggest that the most intimate and invariable features of people's concept of self were those that were, quite literally, closest to the heart (i.e., those most influenced by interoceptive signals). In other words, people's abstract concept of self appears to be closely influenced by their perception of signals originating from their body. More specifically, past studies suggest that those with a stronger and more stable concept of self are more entuned with their inner bodily signals, particularly their heartbeat and breath, and are less prone to sensory illusions.

"'While the concept of self is related also to transient sensory and motor experiences, we claim that it is the cyclic physiology of the viscera that provides the self-concept with a firm foundation, contributing to its stability and sanity over time by making it less permeable to external influences," Monti said. "We argue that this stabilizing role of interoception on the self-concept is not limited to the material self, but also extends to the social and spiritual self."

"The overreaching conclusion of the recent review paper authored by Monti and his colleagues is that humans' abstract concept of self is not merely embodied; it is deeply embodied. In the future, this observation could have important implications for the development of treatment strategies for psychiatric patients with a fragmented or hindered concept of self."

Comment: an interesting approach which points out we are the only evolved organisms who can analyze those internal feels with immaterial concepts of self.