As an example, if you or someone else randomly moves your arms you know exactly where they are relative to other parts of your body, how does the brain know this?
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It’s a sense called proprioception, and there are specific receptors all over your body. They send info back to your brain, and your brain compiles it along with visual and vestibular (“balance”) cues in a complex back-and-forth feedback system to come up with where you “think” you are. Different types of proprioception receptors send feedback based on your muscles, tendons, joints, and the forces being applied to each.
Fun fact: this back-and-forth feedback is highly affected by alcohol, so this is the reason why your balance is bad or you might feel like your hand is “floating” when you’re drunk! It also can do funky things as you’re falling asleep, making your body feel weird.
It’s our (real) 6th sense called [Proprioception. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception)
There are special nerves within our muscles and skeletal system. These sense movement, direction, and more. Your nervous system then integrates the senses with other inputs to give you the sense on where your body is. The other inputs are mainly sight (you see where your foot is, and remember where you last saw it) and touch (you feel the bottom of your foot against something, and deduce it’s on the floor).
It’s a sense called proprioception. Your muscles send signals to your brain about their current position. It’s one of several senses not included in the classic five (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch). Our sense of balance is another.
It’s a sense called proprioception, and there are specific receptors all over your body. They send info back to your brain, and your brain compiles it along with visual and vestibular (“balance”) cues in a complex back-and-forth feedback system to come up with where you “think” you are. Different types of proprioception receptors send feedback based on your muscles, tendons, joints, and the forces being applied to each.
Fun fact: this back-and-forth feedback is highly affected by alcohol, so this is the reason why your balance is bad or you might feel like your hand is “floating” when you’re drunk! It also can do funky things as you’re falling asleep, making your body feel weird.
It’s our (real) 6th sense called [Proprioception. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprioception)
There are special nerves within our muscles and skeletal system. These sense movement, direction, and more. Your nervous system then integrates the senses with other inputs to give you the sense on where your body is. The other inputs are mainly sight (you see where your foot is, and remember where you last saw it) and touch (you feel the bottom of your foot against something, and deduce it’s on the floor).
Your body parts are connected to your brain with nerves.
Those nerves let you control your muscles, sense heat, touch, and pain.
These nerves also give you a vague sense of where those body parts are.
You also have a mental picture of how your body is shaped and what moves are possible, so when combined with the information from your nerves gives you a pretty good idea of where you body is positioned.
It’s a sense called proprioception. Your muscles send signals to your brain about their current position. It’s one of several senses not included in the classic five (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch). Our sense of balance is another.
Your body parts are connected to your brain with nerves.
Those nerves let you control your muscles, sense heat, touch, and pain.
These nerves also give you a vague sense of where those body parts are.
You also have a mental picture of how your body is shaped and what moves are possible, so when combined with the information from your nerves gives you a pretty good idea of where you body is positioned.
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