Is your sense of self in the heart or the brain?

Without even realising it you probably have a sense of where “you” are in your body. Usually people locate themselves in the brain or the heart, and less frequently in the small, gnarly bit at the side of the big toe. Wherever you think of “you” residing in your body is where your sense of “self” resides and according to a new study the location of your sense of self has a big impact on how you interact with the world.

For the studies the researchers constructed eight studies based around where a person’s sense of self resides. In one study for example the researchers simply asked the participants which part of their body is most connected to who they are. This was then matched with the subject’s self-construal (which we will explain in a moment).

The location of your sense of self has a big impact on how you interact with the world.

Across the eight studies it emerged that people who saw their sense of self as residing in the brain were more likely to have an independent self-construal while those who saw it residing in the heart were more likely to have an inter-dependent self-construal.

People with an independent self-construal tend to assert the autonomous nature of the self, realise their internal attributes, and influence their environment. So these people often engage in conversations and behaviours that are conceptually related to the brain. By contrast people with an interdependent self-construal tend to be part of a group, maintain harmonious relationships, and adjust to others. These people will tend to engage in matters that relate to the heart as well as the brain.

All of which means that where your “sense” your “self” is an indicator of how you operate in the world.

So, the answer to the question, “Where do you live?” just took on a whole new level of importance.