Do you remember the last time political news presented to you on social media evoked a visceral response? Social media algorithms oftentimes aim to capture our attention by evoking outrage or fear – emotions closely tied to our perception of bodily signals. Recent findings suggest that the trust we have in our own bodily signals might be a protective factor against the negative impact of politics on our well-being. In this study we aim to replicate this finding across several cultural contexts. In addition, we will investigate whether this protective effect extends to a social media context – is the intensity of political emotions elicited by posts linked to how we perceive our bodily signals?

Markus Tünte

Markus Tünte is currently wrapping up his PhD at the University of Vienna, Austria, under supervision of Prof. Stefanie Hoehl. His research investigates the development of the perception of bodily signals – an ability termed interoception – and related constructs, such as social cognition and mental health.