Do Individual Differences in Perception Affect Awareness of Climate Change?

Abstract

One significant obstacle to gaining a widespread awareness of the ongoing climate change is the nature of its manifestations in relation to our perception: climate change effects are gradual, distributed, and sometimes seemingly contradictory. These features result in a lag in collective climate action and sometimes foster climate skepticism and climate denial. While the literature on climate change perception and belief has thoroughly explored its sociocultural and sociopolitical aspects, research on the potential contribution of psychophysiological factors remains scarce. In this perspective paper, we outline evidence and arguments for the involvement of psychophysiological systems such as thermoception, hygroreception, and interoception in modulating climate change awareness. We discuss psychophysiological mechanisms of climate change awareness in animals and humans, as well as possible sources of individual variance in climate change perception. We conclude by suggesting novel research questions which would be worthwhile to pursue in future studies.

Unconscious multisensory integration: behavioral and neural evidence from subliminal stimuli

“…The former could pave the way for the implementation of subthreshold stimulations in rehabilitation neuroprostheses ( Raspopovic, 2020 ; Preatoni et al, 2021 ; Chee et al, 2022 ), enhancing their acceptability ( Preatoni et al, 2021 ; Valle et al, 2021 ; Cesari et al, 2024 ) while maintaining a comparable efficacy. In this regard, further studies are needed to investigate the integration of a subliminal stimulus with a supraliminal one and to test the clinical applicability of the results [e.g., in clinical populations susceptible to interoceptive specificities ( Alfì et al, 2023 ; Cipriani et al, 2024 )].…”