Critical Review of the Somatic Marker Hypothesis

Abstract

The article outlines the main shortcomings of the somatic marker hypothesis: the definition of somatic markers is vague, the experiment which is supposed to prove the hypothesis is inadequate, the interpretation of the obtained results is inaccurate, and the proposed neural substrate for somatic marking requires an update. The hypothesis' inability to bridge the dualistic division of body and mind – which was the desired side-effect of the hypothesis, suggested by book’s title (Descartes' Error) – constitutes an additional problem which is not addressed in this article. To the above criticisms I propose possible solutions which complement or strengthen the hypothesis and ensure its continued relevance.