Common sense is updated when we integrate the knowledge of the body with mental reflection. It’s not just thinking well, but feeling better.
“Common sense is the least common of the senses.” – Voltaire
The five classic senses – vista, ear, smell, taste and touch – have historically been the main interaction channel with the outside world. But today we know that there is an internal universe of sensations equal or more relevant: the Propioception (perception of the posture and movement of the body) and the Interoception (perception of internal organs). These perceptions configure our emotional, cognitive and physical state, and many times we ignore them due to lack of body awareness.
Learning to feel, observe and use the body as an ally not only improves health, but also decision -making, emotional intelligence and adaptation ability.
It is no longer just about capturing external stimuli. The body is also an internal receiver:
- Exteroception: External information (view, ear, touch, smell, taste).
- Propioception: Position and movement of the body.
- Interoception: Internal signals (beats, hunger, breathing, tension, temperature, etc.).
These three sensory layers form a continuous feedback network with the brain. Emotions are not only thought, They feel physically: A knot in the throat, a pressure in the chest, butterflies in the stomach.
The body speaks constantly, although we do not listen to it. Gestures, postures and even microexpressions modulate our emotions, activate areas of the brain (such as tonsil or insula), and alter our perception of reality.
📌 Key example:
Encrovated people remember more negative than positive words and show less memory capacity. Just changing the posture already modifies the emotional state.
📌 Another experiment:
Simulate a smile (with a pencil between the teeth) improves the perception of images and active positive emotions. The body deceives the brain … and the brain cooperates!
Breathing is the only automatic system that we can voluntarily control. Breathing through the nose, slow and with prolonged exhalation, regulates the neuronal rhythm, activates the hippocampus (key in memory) and helps manage emotions.
- Mouth Disconnect this system.
- Breathe correctly Activate attention, calm the limbic system And helps to sleep better, think clearly and make rational decisions.
Learning to identify where we feel an emotion is the first step to regulate it. Where do we feel anxiety? Where do we feel joy? Name and shape physical sensations helps Disable mental automatismsget out of rumination and act more freely.
💡 Intermediate conclusion:
The body does not shout. Whisper But we don’t listen to it. And what is not heard, repeated.
He common sensemore than a set of social rules, it should be the Wisdom of body experience. But it is usually disconnected from the body, reduced to abstract ideas or inherited beliefs.
- For Aristotlecommon sense unified the external senses.
- For DescartesIt was a universal reason to distinguish good from evil.
- Today we know that “meaning” also feels in the body.
Common sense is updated when we integrate the knowledge of the body with mental reflection. It’s not just thinking well, but feeling better. People who live “in their head,” disconnected from the body, have more difficulty regulating their emotions, making good decisions and adapting to the new.
- The senses not only capture the world: they also interpret it.
- The body is an emotional map. Learning to read it is key.
- Breathing, posture and gesture are tools to influence the mind.
- Body consciousness is not a luxury, but a form of practical intelligence.
- True common sense should be a fusion between the biological, emotional and cultural.
- The body is the instrument where life sounds. You have to learn to refine it and touch it.
