What is the study called that examines the link between the mind and body?

The study that examines the link between the mind and body is referred to as psychosomatic medicine. This field focuses on how psychological factors can affect physical health, exploring the interactions between the mind (thoughts, emotions, and behaviors) and the body (physical symptoms and health conditions). It involves understanding how stress and emotional issues can lead to physical ailments and how addressing psychological aspects can improve physical health outcomes.

Neuroscience primarily deals with the structure and function of the nervous system, without a direct focus on the interplay between psychological factors and physical conditions. Cognitive psychology studies mental processes like perception, memory, and problem-solving rather than the relationship between mental and physical health. Behavioral neuroscience looks at how the brain influences behavior, but it doesn’t specifically address the mind-body connection as directly as psychosomatic medicine does. Thus, the most appropriate term for the study that directly links psychological and physiological processes is psychosomatic medicine.