"Metaphors are linked to how we experience the world around us, according to seminal work by researchers George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. In English, we "move forward" with our lives and don't "retreat into" the past. We speak about people who are "cold as ice" and "heavy" matters we need to resolve. Some of these metaphorical expressions are more than just, well, expressions-they are actually based on our sensory experiences. This mind-body link is called "embodied cognition.""
"When we're thinking about the future, we lean forward ever so slightly, and when we're considering the past, we move slightly backward. Chairs in counselors' offices that tip slightly forward sound like a good investment. We speak of being "close" to people whose opinions we share. Personal space research indicates that we generally stand closer to people we tend to agree with. Easily movable furniture helps us keep a socially comfortable distance from other people."
Metaphors frequently reflect bodily and sensory experiences, forming the basis of embodied cognition. People lean forward when thinking about the future and slightly backward when thinking about the past. Interpersonal closeness aligns with shared opinions, and physical arrangements like movable furniture influence comfortable social distance. Vertical placement and elevation convey value, with "up" associating with positive concepts and "down" with negative ones. Dimmer lighting and dark colors correlate with reduced honesty and associations with immorality, while lighter colors align with positive concepts. Designers can use posture cues, proximity, vertical positioning, lighting, and color to shape behavior and social dynamics.
Read at Psychology Today
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