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Embodiment of emotion concepts
Paula M Niedenthal1, Piotr Winkielman, Laurie Mondillon
1CNRS, Paris, France. niedenthal@wisc.edu
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|May 28, 2009
Summary
Embodied cognition research shows that processing emotion words can trigger facial expressions, suggesting a re-experience of emotions. This embodiment is context-dependent, supporting situated simulation theories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Linguistics
Background:
- Embodied cognition theories propose higher cognitive functions rely on sensory-motor experiences.
- Concept processing may involve reactivating sensory-motor states from past experiences.
- Emotion knowledge processing might entail re-experiencing emotions when sensory details are task-relevant.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether processing emotion words leads to embodied emotional re-experiences.
- To examine the role of sensory-motor systems in emotion concept processing.
- To determine if embodiment in emotion processing is causal and context-dependent.
Main Methods:
- Facial electromyographic (fEMG) activity was recorded while participants judged emotional and neutral concepts (concrete and abstract).
- Experiments manipulated processing tasks (emotion-focused vs. perceptual-focused) and blocked facial expressions.
- A property generation task was used to assess the nature of embodied emotions.
Main Results:
- Specific emotions were embodied during emotion-focused tasks, but not perceptual-focused tasks.
- Blocking facial expressions indicated a causal role for embodiment in emotion word processing.
- Embodied emotions in conceptual tasks appeared to be context-dependent situated simulations.
Conclusions:
- Findings support theories of embodied simulation, where conceptual tasks involve situated simulations.
- Results suggest that emotion embodiment in cognition is not merely an associated reaction but a functional component.
- The study highlights the dynamic and context-dependent nature of embodied emotion processing.
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