MULTIDIMENSIONAL INTEROCEPTION SHAPES EMOTION-INDUCED POSTURAL CONTROL: FROM LABORATORY MEASURES TO DAILY-LIFE MONITORING

Emotional states modulate postural control, yet previous findings remain inconsistent regarding which postural parameters are affected and in what direction. One potential source of this variability is individual differences in interoception which plays a central role in emotional processing. This study aimed (i) to examine how multiple interoceptive dimensions modulate emotion-induced postural control in laboratory and (ii) to evaluate the ecological validity of these relationships in daily life.
In Study 1, healthy young adults (N = 21) stood quietly on a force plate while viewing emotional images varying in arousal (high/low) and valence (pleasant/unpleasant). Postural control was quantified using center-of-pressure indices, including standard deviation (SD) and mean velocity (MV). Interoception was assessed using heartbeat-evoked potentials (HEPs), interoceptive accuracy (IAcc) measured by heartbeat-counting task, and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). Study 2 employed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) approach using a smartphone-based system to monitor ECG and accelerometry. EMA captured subjective emotional state and repeated assessments of IAcc and MAIA. Longitudinal associations were analyzed using mixed-effects models.
In Study 1, arousal-related postural modulation was associated with HEP amplitudes and IAcc, whereas valence-related effects were selectively associated with MAIA Trusting (Fig).
Study 2 tests the ecological validity of these findings; results will be reported at the conference.
These findings demonstrate that distinct interoceptive dimensions differentially relate to arousal- and valence-dependent postural control. By linking laboratory-based mechanisms to daily-life monitoring, this study highlights interoception as a key factor underlying individual variability in emotion–motor integration.