Social anxiety disorder and interoceptive trait prediction error: An account from the free energy principle

Resumen

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a type of anxiety disorder which impacts every day functioning, particularly in terms of interpersonal relationships. The cognitive-behavioral model is regarded as one of the most effective treatments for anxiety disorders. Though this model has long informed clinical practice, it has been criticized for its overreliance on cognitive processes and rational thinking, disregarding the role of emotions as well as other biological and social factors. This limitation is especially evident in the treatment of SAD, where cognitive behavioral approaches often fail to produce long-term results. In this study, we will argue in favor of a new approach as a unifying theory of anxiety formation, emerging in the last decade from the field of computational psychiatry, focusing on the brain’s predictive mechanisms. We will show how SAD can arise from erroneous interoceptive inferences—incorrect predictions about internal bodily states— which lead to unreliable predictions about the social environment. These erroneous inferences reinforce the individual's perception that the social world is unpredictable and that their actions are insufficient to reduce this uncertainty, creating a state of learned uncertainty.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Bîcu, A. G., & Barizi, A. M. O. (2024). Social anxiety disorder and interoceptive trait prediction error: An account from the free energy principle. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/2dn46