Interoceptive awareness has a cross-sectional positive association with adolescents' future exercise possible self, both directly and indirectly through enhanced self-concept clarity and elevated athletic engagement, forming a sequential chain mediation pathway.
Interoceptive awareness exerted a significant total effect on future exercise possible self in adolescents.
Self-concept clarity independently mediated the relationship between interoceptive awareness and future exercise possible self.
Athletic engagement independently mediated the relationship between interoceptive awareness and future exercise possible self.
Self-concept clarity and athletic engagement jointly formed a significant chain mediation pathway between interoceptive awareness and future exercise possible self.
Seven of the eight interoceptive awareness dimensions significantly predicted future exercise possible self after controlling for demographic variables.
Interoceptive awareness and all its dimensions were positively correlated with self-concept clarity, athletic engagement, and future exercise possible self.
The study sample consisted of 1,131 Chinese adolescents recruited from Grades 7 to 12 across six major regions of China.
This research suggests that adolescents who are more aware of their internal bodily signals — such as heartbeat, breathing, and physical sensations — are more likely to imagine themselves exercising regularly in the future. The study surveyed over 1,100 Chinese middle and high school students, measuring their body awareness, sense of self, athletic motivation, and future exercise identity. It found that higher interoceptive awareness (sensitivity to internal body signals) was linked to a stronger future exercise self-image, and this connection was both direct and indirect. The indirect pathways worked in a sequential chain: adolescents who were more attuned to their bodies tended to have a clearer, more stable sense of who they are (self-concept clarity), which in turn was linked to greater engagement and enthusiasm in athletic activities, which ultimately contributed to stronger future exercise identities. Athletic engagement was a particularly strong mediator in this chain. Notably, seven of the eight dimensions of interoceptive awareness predicted future exercise identity, with only 'body listening' (the active practice of attending to the body for insight) failing to do so. This research suggests that helping adolescents develop better awareness of and positive attitudes toward their internal bodily sensations, while also supporting a clear sense of self and meaningful athletic participation, could encourage the development of lasting exercise habits and positive physical activity identities. The findings point to a sequential process — from bodily awareness to self-understanding to athletic motivation to future exercise identity — that could inform school-based physical education and wellness programs.
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Upload Your LabsHuang J, Hu D, Wu P, Tian S, Xie P, Pan Y. (2026). The association between adolescent interoceptive awareness and future exercise possible self: a mediation model.. PeerJ. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.21780