We are all very familiar with the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. What if we told you that we have a real sixth sense, which we’re sure many of you don’t know, but which is vital to our body?
Our sixth sense, or ‘interoception’, can be defined as the perception of the internal state of our body. Interoception, which enables us to feel the internal signals that regulate the vital functions of our body such as hunger, thirst, body temperature and heartbeat, and to understand what these signals mean, is of great importance for the smooth functioning of the systems in our body. Moreover, interoception is as important to our mental health as it is to our body. Let’s take a closer look at the physical and mental importance of this sixth sense.
It is very important to understand whether interception differs according to gender.
Whether we want to drink when we’re thirsty, or wear thinner clothes when we feel too hot – these are all driven by our interoception sense alerting us to maintain our body’s balance. In addition, interoception; It is also an essential part of our mental health, as it contributes to many psychological processes, including decision-making, social ability, and emotional well-being. So much so that ‘impaired interoception’ is found in many mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
On the other hand, although interoception is important to our health in many ways, little is known about whether there is a gender difference in how accurately individuals perceive internal signals from their bodies. In order to better understand the differences in mental and physical health, it is very important to find out whether there is a difference between male and female interoception. But studies so far that have investigated whether cisgender men and women perceive internal sensory signals from their hearts, lungs, and stomachs differently have had mixed results.
While not certain yet, it is thought there may be a difference.
For example, some studies asked participants to count their heartbeats, while others asked participants to determine if they saw a flashing light when their stomach contracted. Although the results are complex, it seems likely that interception is different in men and women. Accordingly, women are less accurate than men in tasks that focus on the heart and, to a certain extent, the lungs. These differences cannot be explained by other factors, such as how much effort the participants exerted during the task, body weight, or physiological differences, including blood pressure.
However, results from tasks other than heart and lung-focused tests are more blurred. This may be because only a small fraction of the studies looked at lung and stomach perception. In short, it may be too early to tell whether men and women differ in their perception of these signals.
Understanding how interception differs by gender could play a role in treating mental illness
On the other hand, these findings may be of great importance in understanding why many common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression are more common in women than men, starting from adolescence. Many theories have been put forward to explain this situation, such as genetics, hormonal, personality, stress and exposure to childhood adversity.
However, now that we are aware of the importance of interception in one’s health, the fact that women’s interception is different from that of men may be one of the reasons why these mental disorders are more common in women. This may be because problems with interception affect many areas, including emotional, social, and cognitive function, which are known risk factors for many mental health conditions.
In addition to all this, knowing that men and women perceive internal sensory signals differently can play a big role in the treatment of mental illness.
On the other hand, although it is known that these differences exist, it is not yet understood what causes them. Researchers have several theories, including the different physiological and hormonal changes most men and women experience; but none of them are finalized.
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