Editorial: Psychological Science of Interoception

Abstract

Interoception, which denotes the sensory connection between the body and the brain regarding the internal state and visceral organs (Sherrington, 1948), is gaining increasing attention among researchers. It serves a vital role in maintaining homeostatic operations and bodily control while also providing the foundation for mental processes and emotional responses. This underscores the close interconnection and responsiveness among brain function, mental processes, and internal physiological condition (Barrett, 2017; Craig, 2015; Damasio, 2018). Interoception is considered a multidimensional construct that encompasses objective, subjective, and metacognitive aspects. These include interoceptive accuracy, indicated by performance in behavioral tests, such as heartbeat detection; interoceptive sensibility, measured through self-reported questionnaires; and interoceptive awareness, which refers to the alignment between objective interoceptive accuracy and subjective confidence (Garfinkel & Critchley, 2013). Evidence on interoceptive neural circuits at the neuroanatomical and functional levels has been accumulating but remains limited, as highlighted in a recent special issue of Trends in Neurosciences (“The Neuroscience of Interoception”). For a summary of gaps and challenges in the field, refer to Chen et al. (2021) in the cited special issue. Additionally, the full impact of recent developments in the understanding of interoception in psychological science is not yet fully elucidated. Hence, the goal of this special issue of Japanese Psychological Research was to showcase recent empirical and theoretical advancements in psychological research on interoception. Consequently, the three articles featured in this special issue have tackled significant topics concerning the cultural foundations of self, attentional focus, and effortful control.

Ubukata et al. (2023) investigated cultural variations in interoceptive accuracy. Previous findings on these cultural differences were limited and somewhat contradictory: Although some evidence has suggested lower levels of interoceptive accuracy in East Asians and Western Africans compared to European Americans (Chentsova-Dutton & Dzokoto, 2014; Ma-Kellams et al., 2012), another line of research reported no cultural differences (Maister & Tsakiris, 2014). By implementing more refined task instructions aimed at addressing specific measurement issues that affect interoceptive accuracy, Ubukata et al. (2023) demonstrated that Japanese participants were more skilled at detecting heartbeats than their European counterparts. Grounded in self-construals and the distinct analytic versus holistic thought patterns that characterize various cultures, Ubukata et al. (2023) would provide insights into the sociocultural factors influencing interoception.

Mizuno and Masaki (2023) investigated whether improved interoceptive skills mitigate performance decline during internal focus. They analyzed how internal focus on physical sensations and movement during golf-putting performance affected both competitive swimmers and non-athletes. The results indicated that concentrating internally on movement, rather than internal focus on physical sensations, led to decreased performance. Additionally, individuals who focused on movement and exhibited higher interoceptive sensibility tended to perform better. Interestingly, these tendencies did not differ significantly between competitive swimmers and non-athletes. This study is distinct in its exploration of the connections between interoception, internal focus, and sports performance.

Utilizing the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA; Mehling et al., 2012), Fujikawa et al. (2023) explored the connections between interoceptive perception processes and trait-like control of behavioral effort. Specifically, two components of MAIA—Attention Regulation, denoting the ability to sustain and manage attention to bodily sensations; and Trust, indicating an individual's perception of their body as secure and reliable—exhibited positive associations with effortful control. These findings hold implications for interventions designed to enhance attention to bodily sensations and facilitate self-regulation activities.

As demonstrated by this special issue, the effort to comprehend the role of interoception in psychological science can yield impacts and implications for various domains, including culture, sports performance, and clinical settings. This underscores the significance of interoception as a representation of internal states that are vital for maintaining the self. Although the number of articles in this special issue is unfortunately limited, we anticipate the articles will offer potentially groundbreaking insights into interoception research from a psychological perspective.