Highlights: Mafia-type organizations rely on societal indifference Combined VR-neurophysiology can reveal implicit and explicit responses to mafia cues Embodying virtuous characters may foster civic resistance
More than passive sensory inputs, odors exert proactive influences on homeostasis and cognition. We propose that olfactory signals act as predictive priors for gastric interoception, reframing gut sensations as expectation-driven…
Journal of Psychiatric Research Volume 193, February 2026, Pages 236-246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2025.11.024
Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID) is a condition characterized by a mismatch between an individual's physical body and their desired body state, often involving a desire for amputation. Virtual reality (VR)…
In a predictive processing framework, religiosity and spirituality (R&S) have been linked to increased reliance on prior knowledge and decreased prediction error monitoring. In addition, R&S might be differentially related…
The performance monitoring system handles representational conflicts with the goal of reducing errors. What remains unclear is whether and how the representational nature of a stimulus modulates conflict resolution. To…
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 123 (17) e2513356123, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2513356123 (2026).
Embodied accounts of morality propose that corporeal self-awareness helps restrain immoral actions. The Sense of Agency (SoA)—the feeling of controlling one’s actions and their consequences—drops when individuals harm others. However,…
Computers in Human Behavior Reports, Volume 23, 2026, 101263, ISSN 2451-9588, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2026.101263.
Increasing evidence suggests that morality is linked to bodily self-consciousness (BSC), yet the factors shaping dishonest behaviour in competitive and ecologically valid interactions remain unclear. To address this, we developed…
Interpersonal motor interactions represent ecologically relevant dynamic contexts for studying behavioral and neural effects of active multisensory experiences. They offer the possibility to study cross-modal multisensory integration mechanisms and to…
Elevated blood pressure is commonly linked to diminished pain perception, a phenomenon known as blood pressure-related hypoalgesia. Interoception, the ability to perceive and interpret internal bodily signals, has been previously…
Psychol Res. 2026 Jan 3;90(1):13. doi: 10.1007/s00426-025-02155-8
The role of interoception, the sensing of internal bodily signals, in shaping our understanding of concepts remains an intriguing and understudied area of research. Here, we investigate the interoceptive foundation…
Visuo-tactile cross-modal congruence effects (CCEs) refer to impaired tactile processing when task-irrelevant visual cues are presented close to the body but in a spatially incongruent location. This interference extends to…
Robot teleoperation enables action through an artificial body while physically elsewhere. We examined whether non-immersive, screen-based teleoperation of the humanoid robot iCub induces embodiment, the sense that the robot’s body…
Aging Clin Exp Res 38, 74 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-026-03327-1
Background Various patterns may apply to an individual’s health-span, with quality of life deriving from a balance between physical conditions, motor and cognitive abilities (i.e. psychomotor capabilities). Methods In this…
NeuroImage Volume 332, 15 May 2026, 121885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2026.121885
Understanding how we attribute blame when witnessing harm provides insights into moral cognition. People judge harmful actions more harshly when they are intentional rather than accidental, emphasizing intentions over outcomes.…
Psychoneuroendocrinology Volume 188, June 2026, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107859
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have attracted great interest as potential biomarkers in several research domains, including acute and chronic stress conditions. While most of these studies focused on circulating blood miRNA levels,…
Auditory events occurring in the peripersonal space (PPS) or near specific body parts such as the peritrunk (PTS) and perihand (PHS) space, have been shown to facilitate tactile processing in…
Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 101273 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2026.101273
Social touch is a primary channel for intergroup communication, yet how touch responses are shaped by group membership and individual differences (intergroup disgust, perceived attractiveness, ideological attitudes, implicit bias, and…
Perseverative cognition, the repetitive, sustained activation of cognitive representations about past stressors or anticipated threats, is known to impair attention and disrupt emotional and physiological regulation; yet, its interpersonal consequences…
Facial temperature is a promising non-invasive index of autonomic activity, yet its dynamics during resting state remain largely unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between facial temperature…
Touch plays a central role in human interaction and well-being, conveying warmth and connection. This study aimed to translate, adapt, and validate the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ) for…
The extrastriate body area (EBA) is a category-specific occipitotemporal cortical region highly specialized in processing visual features of corporeal stimuli and plays an essential role in body and action representation.…
International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1-28 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2026.2690102
Although Mafia-type criminal organizations (MCOs) exert severe societal harm, evidence-based interventions fostering anti-mafia motives remain scarce. We investigated whether embodying virtual heroic characters enhances opposition to MCOs. Italian participants embodied…
Computers in Human Behavior, 109089 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2026.109089
People regulate comfort and intimacy of everyday social interactions by adjusting interpersonal distance-the physical space between themselves and others. While research has highlighted the role of cultural norms in shaping…
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