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Aristotle was the first person to list the five senses as sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Around 2,000 years later, an English scientist added muscular sense -- what we now call proprioception -- to describe our automatic awareness of the position or movement of our body parts in relationship to each other. More recently, scientists identified remote touch as our seventh sense. It's the ability to know an object we cannot see is nearby before we actually touch it.

But that's only a partial description of how we perceive the world. New research says we have 20 or more distinct senses, making our interaction with the world and our body more complex than we thought. Two newly included "senses" are balance, based in your inner ear's vestibular system, and the sense of ownership, which is revealed by the fact that some stroke survivors cannot recognize specific body parts as belonging to their body.

What does this have to do with you staying younger longer? It's a wake-up call to pay attention to the way your body acts and reacts. Use daily meditation and double deep-breath resistance training.

Also, notice what you're sensing when you take a bite of healthy food, experience pain, or are anxious. Become aware of which activities provide positive sensations and what you want to change. For more help tuning in to what your senses are telling you, it's only sensible to explore the in-depth info at 4YOUngevity.com.

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.4YOUngevity.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@4YOUngevity.com.

(c)2026 Michael Roizen, M.D.

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

(c) 2026 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.