Definition
Reading sensation at the resolution your body actually uses — not borrowed mindfulness labels.
Origin
Interoception research distinguishes objective accuracy (performance on heartbeat-detection tasks), subjective sensibility (self-report), and metacognitive awareness (knowing how accurate you are). Craig’s insula work links interoceptive re-representation to subjective feeling states.
Mechanism
Granularity means mapping your signal vocabulary — throat tightness versus generic “anxiety,” belly heat versus borrowed “calm.” Garfinkel et al. show the three interoceptive dimensions are dissociable: high sensibility does not guarantee accuracy, and confidence tracks performance only in the most accurate subgroup. Personal definitions therefore need calibration reps, not label collection alone.
Sources
Cite
- Craig, A. D. (2009). How do you feel — now? The anterior insula and human awareness. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 10(1), 59–70.
- Garfinkel, S. N., Seth, A. K., Barrett, A. B., Suzuki, K., & Critchley, H. D. (2015). Knowing your own heart: Distinguishing interoceptive accuracy from interoceptive awareness. Biological Psychology, 104, 65–74.
Applications
Pair with Personal Definitions — write your indicators, not cliché wellness words.