Space Metaphors - Right, Left Values More Literal Than You Might Think
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 14:50
in Psychology & Sociology
When we are 'up', we are happy, 'down' not so much. 'Right' is trustworthy while 'in left field' not so much, according to language and culture. But we don't all think right is right. Take handedness - people associate 'goodness' with the side they can act more fluently on. Right-handed people prefer the product or job applicant positioned to their right. Lefties prefer the opposite. And those linguistic tropes? They probably "enshrine the preferences of the right-handed majority," says psychologist Daniel Casasanto, who believes "We use mental metaphors to structure our thinking about abstract things. One of those metaphors is space." read more