How the brain processes gut and heart signals could influence self-perception.
- The way the brain analyzes internal signals – those from the gut and the heart – could influence how we see our bodies.
- Ultimately, this work could lead to the creation of new treatments, particularly for eating disorders.
When we see ourselves in a mirror, it’s not just our eyes that analyze the image it sends back to us. This is the hypothesis of researchers who have just published their work in the journal Cortex. According to them, intestinal and cardiac signals have an impact on self-image, because of their connection with our brain. Indeed, some of the messages from the heart and intestine are processed – unconsciously of course – by the cerebral nervous system which interprets them in order to obtain continuously updated information on the internal state of the body. So, in detail, the scientists observed that adults whose brains were less efficient at detecting these internal signals were more likely to experience body shame and weight concerns.
Some brains are more about looks
“We experience our body both inside and out: we are aware of how our skin and limbs look, but also how hungry we feel or if our heart beats during physical exercise, explains Jane Aspell, one of the authors. The brain is constantly processing internal signals that we are not aware of. (…) We found that when the brain is less responsive to these implicit cues from inside the body, individuals are more likely to have negative opinions about their external bodily appearance. It may be that when the brain has a weaker connection to the inner body, it is more focused on the outer body and appearance therefore becomes much more important for self-assessment..”
A sense of body shame and weight concerns
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed a group of healthy adults. They answered four questionnaires on the body image that they perceived of themselves. The goal was to measure the image they had of their body and if they had concerns related to weight. Once this data was collected, they observed the internal signals of these participants. And, finally, the strength of the connection between the intestine and the brain was measured by recording the electrical activity of these two areas at the same time. The researchers also analyzed the brain’s responses to heartbeats. Thus, they found that lower brain responses to gut and heart were both significantly associated with higher levels of body shame and weight concern in participants.
Eventually, treatments for people who feel bad about themselves
“Our research could have implications for those with negative body image, which can have a serious impact on people’s lives.analyzes Jennifer Todd, one of the researchers. We need to understand why some brains detect these internal signals better than others.“Further research should be conducted. Ultimately, this work could therefore make it possible to develop new therapies for people suffering from a very negative image of themselves, in particular for eating disorders such as anorexia or self-perception plays a role. major.
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