Bodily intolerance of uncertainty influences perceptual recalibration of abdominal boundaries

Perception of our own body can dynamically change based on precision weighting of sensory prediction errors. The current study tested whether a trait-level factor influences such perceptual recalibration. Specifically, we tested whether bodily intolerance of uncertainty (IU), a distress response to ambiguous bodily signals, modulates visuo-somatic recalibration of perceived abdominal boundaries.

Participants competed a virtual reality paradigm, estimating perceived abdominal boundaries along the front-back dimension, before and after either congruent or incongruent visuo-tactile feedback. In the incongruent condition, the visuo-tactile feedback was manipulated to simulate an expanded abdominal boundary.

Mixed-effects modelling showed that bodily IU predicted greater shifts in abdominal boundary estimates under incongruent feedback.

These findings indicate that bodily IU amplifies perceptual change when sensory information is conflicting, suggesting a potential trait-level influence in precision control.