Self-portrait of a Stranger: Self-face Representation and Interoception in Depersonalization Experiences
Lara Maister, Anna Ciaunica preprint
People with depersonalization feel detached from themselves, their bodies, and others. This study provides the first evidence that depersonalization symptoms are linked to impairments in how individuals picture their own face in visual memory. Those with more frequent and intense symptoms had less accurate self-face representations, yet paradoxically showed higher precision and informational content, suggesting they represent a distinct but inaccurate facial identity as themselves. Independent raters judged these self-face images as visibly more emotionless and younger-looking, features tied to anomalous memory experiences. Interoceptive sensibility played a role in both self-face accuracy and depersonalization symptoms, highlighting connections between internal bodily awareness, external self-perception, and memory.