(Chapman et al. 2006, Nock and Mendes 2008a, Nock et
 al. 2009, 
Wolff et al. 2019), but we still lack a mechanistic understanding 
of such behaviors. Here, we propose that despite starvation and 
NSSI being undoubtedly distinct behaviors with different affective, 
cognitive, and neurobiological underpinnings, they could share a 
common “rationale.” Namely, they could be attempts to modify 
one’s state—in a broad sense, which includes not just the bodily 
state but also affective, cognitive, and social experiences—by “act-
ing on the body.” In other words, these behaviors can be considered 
̆ ̆