The following is a summary of “Recognition of others’ interoceptive states in those with and without eating disorders,” published in the February 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Gajperia et al.
Understanding one’s emotions is often linked to recognizing others’ emotions, but the connection between recognizing one’s internal states (interoception) and others’ interoceptive states remains unexplored.
Researchers conducted a prospective study investigating the connection between interoception and others’ interoceptive states, particularly in clinical groups such as those with eating disorders (EDs)
They used a high-frequency visual noise paradigm to recognize one’s own and others’ internal states in adults with and without eating disorders. Participants completed surveys on interoception, alexithymia, and eating disorder symptoms and completed the Heartbeat Counting Task to measure how accurately they sense their heartbeat.
The results showed a significant negative correlation between alexithymia and recognizing others’ internal feelings. Additionally, difficulties in recognizing others’ internal feelings were not associated with EDs.
Investigators concluded that recognizing one’s emotions links to understanding others’ interoceptive states, possibly enhancing social skills and caregiving abilities.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05615-4