EVIDENCE BY CHAPTER

Chapter 7: The State System

Evidence records connected to this chapter of The Human OS Manual.

The entries below follow the chapter’s printed endnotes into the digital Evidence Map.

The printed notes preserve the source trail attached to the first edition. The digital record adds a current interpretation of what the evidence supports, what it does not establish, and whether anything has changed since publication.

Signals from inside the body contribute to awareness, feeling, and perception.

Established operating principles

State System · Awareness Meta-Layer

Book reference: Internal bodily signals shape awareness, emotion, and how reality is interpreted., Interoception is the sensing and interpretation of internal bodily signals., Signals from inside the body help shape awareness, emotion, and perception.

Last reviewed: August 11, 2026

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Stress can impair prefrontal functions involved in working memory and top-down cognitive control.

Strong human evidence

State System · Output System

Book reference: Stress can narrow attention, working memory, and top-down cognitive control., Under sustained load, compensatory effort can preserve performance while flexible cognitive control becomes less reliable., Stress can reduce flexibility and make habitual responses feel more available., Stress can narrow flexibility and make familiar responses easier to retrieve.

Last reviewed: August 11, 2026

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From the book chapter

The book chapter carries the argument. These entries preserve the evidence trail attached to its specific claims.