Exclusive INSYNC Blogs

Maya sat outside the interview room with sweaty palms and a racing heart. She wondered why she felt like she was boiling hot even though the building's air conditioning was on full blast. This is the thing about our feelings – they’re not just in our heads.  

Internal bodily signals, such as temperature or heartbeats, form our interoception. These signals tell us if we should grab a jacket or a glass of water. Your brain can sense, interpret and integrate body signals without you needing to use a device to measure your temperature or heartbeat. Interoception is another sense, like our eyesight or taste. 

Interoception is important for survival because it tells us about our body’s physical as well as emotional needs. For example, if we are dehydrated, our body tells us that we feel thirsty through interoception. As well as acting like a ‘check engine light’ for our basic biological needs, interoception can be linked to changes in mental and physical health. For instance, feeling nauseous might indicate that you are sick or that you are feeling anxious, or both! The surrounding context helps us to make sense of our internal signals.  

Maya’s nervousness before her job interview, her perception and interpretation of the accompanying bodily signals, are examples of our internal sensing system – interoception. Our emotional experiences are not just in our heads but in our bodies too.  

Could you think about what your interoceptive sense has told you today?