Glossary: Interoception

Interoception

In Everyday Terms:

Interoception is your brain’s way of keeping track of what’s going on inside your body—like knowing when you’re hungry, thirsty, tired, or stressed. If you have trouble with interoception, it’s like your body’s signals are fuzzy or on mute. You might forget to eat until you're dizzy, not realize you're anxious until you're overwhelmed, or struggle to tell the difference between feeling tired and feeling bored.

Clinically Speaking:

Interoception is the sense that helps individuals perceive and interpret internal bodily signals such as hunger, thirst, temperature, heart rate, and emotional states. It plays a critical role in self-regulation and emotional awareness. Differences in interoceptive awareness are common in neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with autism, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. Challenges with interoception can impact the ability to recognize and respond appropriately to bodily needs, leading to difficulties in managing physical and emotional well-being.

How Interoception Affects Personal Finance

Since interoception plays a key role in self-regulation and decision-making, difficulties in sensing internal cues can have a significant impact on financial habits. Ignoring or misinterpreting internal needs can lead to impulsive spending, inconsistent budgeting, and difficulty managing long-term financial goals.

Impulse Spending to Meet Unrecognized Needs

When bodily needs like hunger, stress, or fatigue go unnoticed, they can manifest in impulsive spending on comfort items, takeout, or retail therapy. Without recognizing the root cause of discomfort, individuals may spend money seeking external solutions.

Forgetting Essential Financial Responsibilities

Difficulty noticing physical and emotional cues—such as financial stress—can lead to a lack of urgency around paying bills, budgeting, or addressing financial concerns until they reach a crisis point. This can result in missed payments, overdrafts, or debt accumulation.

Overlooking Self-Care in Budgeting

Without clear awareness of personal needs, individuals may struggle to allocate funds for essential self-care expenses such as healthy food, medical care, or rest. This can lead to burnout, unexpected health-related costs, and financial instability.

Struggles with Financial Planning Due to Energy Levels

Poor interoception can make it difficult to recognize when energy levels are too low for cognitive-heavy tasks like budgeting or financial planning. This can result in avoidance, procrastination, and rushed financial decisions made at inopportune times.

Difficulty Setting Realistic Financial Goals

Without a clear understanding of personal limits and needs, individuals may set unrealistic financial goals that don't account for necessary downtime, rest periods, or energy fluctuations—leading to frustration and financial setbacks.

Interoception plays a crucial role in financial self-care, and improving awareness of internal signals can help individuals make better money decisions. Using external reminders for self-care, budgeting mindfully for comfort needs, and building financial routines that align with energy levels can help bridge the gap between bodily awareness and financial well-being.