Interoception and the mentalization of bodily states

More than 100 years ago, Sherrington coined the term interoception to denote sensations of endogenous origin arising from visceral organs. Starting from this physiological description of this unique sensory system that concerns the internal body, we discuss how the definition of interoception has changed since then to include the role of both sensing and integrating all aspects of the body’s physiological state and motivational needs, with far-reaching effects on a range of cognitive processes. We highlight key developments in psychological sciences and neuroscience that underlie the central role of interoception for body awareness and eventually self-awareness. At the physiological level, interoceptive processes serve the homeostasis of the organism and in more modern predictive coding accounts are key for allostatic processes. At the psychological level interoception is central to our affective experiences and body awareness. Converging evidence from basic science as well as clinical and health psychology and neuropsychiatry suggest that the mentalization of our bodily states that is underpinned by interoception is at the core of our understanding of physical and mental health, self-awareness and social cognition.