Research from Northeastern University is offering a new perspective on why some people turn to self-injury to cope with emotional distress, suggesting that their intuitive understanding of the relationship between the mind and body may play a role.
The study, led by Northeastern psychology professor Iris Berent and conducted with researchers Chelsea Boccagno and Jill Hooley, examines the connection between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and the way people perceive physical and psychological experiences. The findings were published October 22 in Scientific Reports.
The research addresses a difficult question in mental health: Why might someone deliberately inflict physical pain to cope with emotional suffering?
NSSI involves intentionally causing physical harm without the intention of ending one’s life. It can serve as an attempt to manage emotions that feel overwhelming or difficult to identify and communicate. The behavior is a significant concern among adolescents, although adults can experience it as well.
In reporting published October 27 by Northeastern Global News, journalist Katya Poltorak explored the study’s findings and their potential implications for mental health care. Poltorak’s report highlights a possible relationship between self-injury and a psychological distinction known as mind-body dualism.
Dualism is the intuitive belief that the mind and body are fundamentally separate. Physicalism, by contrast, views mental experiences as arising from the same physical system as the body. Although scientific understanding supports the physical basis of mental processes, people differ in how they intuitively understand this relationship.
Berent and her colleagues found that participants who reported more frequent self-injury tended to express more physicalist views. In other words, they were more likely to treat mental and physical characteristics as belonging to a unified system rather than two distinct realms.
The researchers explored these beliefs through hypothetical scenarios, asking participants to consider whether a perfect replica of their brain and body would also possess their personal preferences and psychological characteristics. They also examined which characteristics participants believed would persist in a hypothetical afterlife without the physical body.
Participants reporting recent self-injury tended to respond in ways consistent with physicalism. The researchers also observed that participants who engaged in self-injury and held stronger physicalist views had greater difficulty explaining what motivated their behavior.
These findings suggest that challenges in recognizing and interpreting emotional experiences may be relevant to understanding self-injury. When psychological distress is difficult to identify or put into words, physical sensations may provide a more tangible experience for someone struggling to understand what they feel.
However, the research does not establish that physicalist beliefs cause self-injury. Nor does it demonstrate that changing a person’s beliefs about the mind and body would prevent the behavior. Instead, it identifies an association that may help guide further research into the psychological experiences of people who self-injure.
The findings could also offer clinicians another avenue for building trust with patients. Understanding how individuals interpret their emotions and bodily sensations may help mental health professionals explore the circumstances surrounding self-injury, identify potential triggers and develop more individualized approaches to care.
Self-injury is a complex behavior, and its causes and functions can differ from person to person. Research into how people experience and communicate emotional pain may help clinicians better understand those differences and support people seeking safer ways to manage distress.
The study adds to ongoing efforts to understand the relationship between emotional regulation, bodily perception and self-injury. While further research will be needed to determine how these findings might inform treatment, it offers a new perspective on the difficulties some people face when trying to make sense of their own distress.
This article is based on research by Northeastern University psychologists Iris Berent, Chelsea Boccagno and Jill Hooley, published in Scientific Reports on October 22, 2026, and reporting by Katya Poltorak in Northeastern Global News, published October 27, 2026. Readers can consult the original report for additional context and details about the study.
