Baseline Anxiety Shapes The Mental Health Effects of an Interoceptive Enhancement Intervention

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Nathan Whitmore¹ (nathanww@media.mit.edu), Minsol Kim¹, Phoebe Chua¹, Yuyang Zhang¹, Serena Pei¹, Isabel Wellins¹, Anan Afrida¹, Pattie Maes¹; ¹MIT

INTRODUCTION: Interoceptive accuracy—the ability to perceive internal bodily states—is closely linked to mental health, yet causal evidence remains scarce. While theories suggest interoception buffers against psychological distress, literature reveals significant inconsistencies and a lack of direct experimental manipulation. METHODS: This crossover study (N=28 students with elevated alexithymia) investigated whether an interoceptive enhancement intervention could improve mental health. Participants wore a watch for two weeks (one week per condition) that delivered vibrations matching either their real-time heart rate (active) or their heart rate from one hour prior (sham). Mental health outcomes (GHQ-12, anxiety, depression, alexithymia, anhedonia) and interoceptive function were assessed at baseline, post-condition, and at a one-week follow-up. RESULTS: No significant main differences were found between sham and active conditions. However, a significant interaction between baseline anxiety and feedback condition predicted anxiety, depression, and GHQ-12 scores, where sham feedback reduced distress more than real feedback in high anxiety participants. Follow up analysis showed that in highly anxious participants, sham feedback (but not real feedback) improved mental health compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Contrary to hypotheses, sham feedback was more beneficial than real-time feedback for anxious individuals. This suggests that sham feedback may disrupt pathological interoceptive hypersensitivity. These findings highlight baseline anxiety as a critical moderator that may explain previous inconsistencies in interoception research.

Topic Area: EMOTION & SOCIAL: Self perception