Is there Proprioceptive Comfort?

Abstract

Sensory comfort, the idea that certain stimuli lead to positive feelings (e.g., calmness, relief, joy), has been well established for 'external' senses like vision and audition. However, despite 'internal' senses such as proprioception, the sense behind one's body position and movement, being well studied, their respective sensory comfort (and perhaps the lack of) has been virtually unexplored. Here, previous work related to the potential of proprioceptive comfort is reviewed to provide context as to whether proprioceptive comfort truly exists. From the basis of sensory comfort provided by body movement, pain relief, proprioceptive art, and their relationships with proprioception, the argument is made that proprioceptive comfort does exist. This opens the door for research expanding on its characteristics and having major implications for supplementing and revitalizing proprioceptive comfort in individuals with impaired proprioception.