Introceptive intelligence
Interoception is our ability to sense what’s happening inside the body: heartbeat, breath, tension, warmth, unease. It’s how the body tells the mind, something’s changing; pay attention.
I’ve started to think of interoceptive intelligence as a broader kind of awareness. It applies not only to our own bodies, but to the systems we design and the relationships we live inside. It’s about knowing how to listen inward before acting outward.
Interoceptive intelligence is about developing sensitivity to signals that come before the event. It’s a design question as much as a human one. How do we build feedback loops that help us stay aware, responsive, and alive, whether in parenting, in architecture, or in design?
Interoception helps turn reactivity into awareness. When you learn to recognize the body’s cues, such as a quickened heartbeat or muscle tension, you can choose how to engage rather than being swept by the moment.
Modern architectures are increasingly non-deterministic. They need mechanisms to sense and adapt to internal change. This is software interoception: the capacity for self-observation and self-regulation.
Products can strengthen interoceptive awareness, both for users and within their own behavior. Design can help people feel more attuned to their own state or create interfaces that respond with a natural rhythm.