Does Interoceptive Intervention Reduce Risk-taking Behaviours?

The main concepts considered in this thesis are those of interoception and decision making. The aim of this study was to examine the extent our awareness of bodily signals influences our decision making. More specifically, this study investigated how interoceptive training modulates risk taking. In order to measure this effect, an experiment was conducted with a group of 26 participants. Participants were split into two groups, one group receiving interoceptive training and one not. the experiment consisted of two sessions in which participants were required to perform an interoceptive training task followed by a virtual risk-taking game. Several analyses were performed on the data collected. Results showed that participants in the experimental group kept their risk taking stable across both sessions (BART bias effect was absent), while the risk taking of the control group increased. Results also elicited strong evidence for the validity of the interoceptive training utilised. The training significantly improved interoceptive accuracy. The study also produced finding that support the relationship between anxiety and both interoception and risk taking. The results found are not conclusive and further research is needed to obtain a complete understanding of interoception and its relationship to risk taking