Hypnotizability and interoception: Differential associations with accuracy, sensibility, and awareness

Prior research suggests differences in interoceptive processing across hypnotizability levels; however, the validity of previously used measures has been questioned, and how hypnotizability relates to different interoceptive dimensions remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the relationship between hypnotizability and three dimensions of interoception: accuracy (IA), sensibility (IS), and awareness (IAW). Forty-two healthy participants completed a heartbeat counting task (HCT) and a heartbeat discrimination task (HDT) to measure IA. IS was assessed using the Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ) and mean confidence ratings provided during HCT and HDT. IAW was defined as the correspondence between IA and confidence for HCT and the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for HDT. Hypnotizability was measured using the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale: Form A. A time estimation task was introduced to evaluate its role in HCT performance. The results showed a negative association between hypnotizability and performance on both the HCT and the HDT, no significant association between hypnotizability, BPQ, and mean confidence scores, and no significant relationship between hypnotizability and either measure of IAW. No significant associations were observed within or between interoceptive dimensions. HCT scores were strongly associated with time estimation accuracy. The results replicate previous findings of lower IA in highly hypnotizable individuals but indicate that self-reported bodily vigilance and metacognitive awareness of interoceptive abilities are not related to hypnotizability. Our findings align with predictive coding views of hypnotizability, suggesting that lower IA reflects diminished sensory precision, which may facilitate stronger weighting of top-down priors over sensory evidence.