An Embodied Cognition Perspective on the Role of Interoception in the Development of the Minimal Self
March 25, 2022 R. Tünte, Markus, Musculus, Lisa, Kayhan, Ezgi (Dr.) et al.
Interoception—the sense of the internal state of the body—is a key but often overlooked component of the human minimal self, the basic sense of being a distinct, embodied subject. This perspective article extends the embodiment account of interoceptive inference to explain how the minimal self develops. The authors review existing theories linking interoception and the minimal self, then propose that motor and interoceptive states have a bidirectional relationship that jointly shapes the minimal self. They present empirical findings on interoception in development and offer theoretical predictions for future experiments, aiming to provide a comprehensive view of the mechanisms underlying the minimal self.