Interoception
Etymology
Coined in the early 20th century by the physiologist Charles Sherrington, from Latin "interior" (inner) and the "-ception" of "reception," from "capere" (to take or receive). He introduced it alongside "exteroception" and "proprioception" to classify the body’s senses. It has surged in psychology as research links it to anxiety and emotional awareness.
noun · /in-ter-oh-SEP-shun/
The sense by which you perceive the internal state of your own body — hunger, heartbeat, breath, the need to breathe or rest.
What it names
A newly prominent handle for the inner sensing that underlies both physical self-regulation and emotion, since much of what we call a feeling begins as a read on the body’s signals.
Example
Poor interoception meant he only noticed he was exhausted and starving once he had already snapped at everyone in the room.
Related idea
Where proprioception tracks where your limbs are in space, interoception tracks conditions inside the body; weak interoception is now tied to alexithymia, since naming a feeling starts with sensing it.