Introducing the Em-Body Study!

We are delighted to announce the launch of the Em-Body Study! Recruitment is now open, and we warmly invite individuals interested in contributing to this innovative research to sign-up for a testing session here. This is a valuable opportunity to support our study focused on deepening our understanding of how emotions are experienced through the body. We need your help!

What is the Em-Body Study?

Scientists are investigating how our brains and bodies constantly work together, and what role the body plays in shaping how we feel and think. The ability to detect these signals and make sense of what they mean is a process that scientists called interoception. You can relate this to things like noticing that you are short of breath or that your heart is racing, or knowing that if your tummy just rumbled maybe you’re hungry!

Changes in interoception may contribute to mental health symptoms like anxiety or depression, but more research is needed to gain a better understanding of exactly how this might work. New studies are exploring how to better target this brain-body connection, but there is already some evidence that treatments that focus on the body are helpful ways to improve mental health.

The first part of the Em-Body Study helps us with step 1 of this process: to better underst

and this brain-body connection. In this study based at UCL in London, we are interested in how sensing signals from your stomach, heart, and breathing, may be related to how you feel more generally. In order to find our more, we are collecting data methods like questionnaires and computer-based tasks, while recording signals from the body, such as heart rate.

Why Participate?

By participating in the Em-Body Study, you will directly help us gain a better understanding of how our bodily signals might shape our thoughts and feelings. When you take part, you will have the opportunity to sign up to receive updates about the findings of the study as we publish them.

You will of course be reimbursed for your time spent taking part! The current study takes approximately 4 hours, and you will be reimbursed up to £40.

How to Get Involved

Getting involved in the Em-Body Study is easy! Just visit our website, where we provide detailed information about the study and eligibility criteria, or follow this link to the screening questionnaire: https://redcap.idhs.ucl.ac.uk/surveys/?s=P4WE97AJN8YAAD34

If you or someone you know is interested, we encourage you to sign up or share it with them. Do get in touch with the team if you have any questions about the study or sign up process (icn.embody[at]ucl.ac.uk).

Join Us on This Exciting Research Journey

We're excited to introduce the Em-Body Study - an opportunity to learn more about how our bodies and emotions are connected. By taking part, you'll be contributing to research that aims to improve our understanding of mental and emotional well-being.

If you're curious about the links between body and mind, we’d love for you to get involved. Every participant helps move this important work forward.