If you close your eyes and focus, can you feel your heartbeat without touching your chest or checking your pulse? Now, can you do it with your eyes open?
This simple exercise helps gauge your interoception ability, which is your capacity to sense internal states like the sensations from your heart, organs, and muscles. Some people find it hard to feel their heartbeat unless it’s quite strong, indicating weaker interoceptive abilities. Others can sense it easily, reflecting a more developed sense of internal awareness.
Interoception isn’t a common term, but it’s becoming more relevant as we understand its importance. Poor interoception can lead to difficulties in emotional regulation. It’s like driving a car without a fuel gauge—you’ll often run out of fuel because you lack crucial information about your vehicle’s state. Similarly, if you can’t sense your body’s signals until they’re intense, managing your emotions becomes challenging. For example, knowing you’re anxious only when it’s severe limits your ability to take early calming actions.
Research shows that low interoceptive abilities are linked to depression. Women with depression (but not anxiety) performed worse on heartbeat detection tests compared to a control group and reported fewer positive emotions. This poor internal awareness also correlates with difficulty in decision-making because our choices often rely on how we feel about things. If we can’t sense our feelings well, we might make poor decisions, like trusting untrustworthy people or choosing jobs that don’t suit us.
Interoceptive skills can also affect anxiety. Some people might only notice their heartbeat when it’s exaggerated, possibly leading them to misinterpret this as a severe issue, causing more anxiety. Typically, those with anxiety disorders are more aware of their body signals but might incorrectly perceive them as signs of a problem, thus worsening their anxiety.
Meditation, especially in the Buddhist tradition, emphasizes body awareness, which can improve interoception. Many long-term meditators, including myself, report enhanced sensitivity to body sensations through practice. Studies support this, showing that experienced meditators exhibit higher coherence between their self-reported feelings and physiological states compared to dancers and non-meditators.
More recently, a study published in The Lancet demonstrated the benefits of interoception training for autistic adults with persistent anxiety. These individuals often struggle with interoceptive tasks but might overreact to the sensations they do feel. Remarkably, after six training sessions, 31 percent of participants no longer had an anxiety disorder, illustrating that improving interoception can significantly enhance well-being.
Traditional mindfulness practices often focus narrowly on the breath, but my approach encourages awareness of the entire body’s movements and sensations during breathing. This broader focus can foster better interoceptive skills.
So, developing interoception can have profound benefits for emotional regulation, decision-making, and overall well-being. Whether through meditation or specialized training, enhancing your internal awareness can help you live a more balanced and mindful life.