Metaphors and the Body: Perceived Locations for the Self Are Influenced by Conceptual Metaphor

The self is typically perceived to be located in its body, but perceived locations for the self, which generally favor head and heart regions, also vary. Although previous research has emphasized individual differences in self-location, recent research has discovered that there is considerable malleability in perceived self-locations within individuals across time, implicating possible contingencies related to situational factors. Four experiments using within-subject designs (total N = 625) sought to investigate whether these migrations of perceived self-location operate in a manner consistent with conceptual metaphors and folk theories concerning the head and the heart. In support of metaphor-linked predictions, Studies 1 and 2 found that thinking about activities that were more relationship-oriented, relative to activities that were less relationship-oriented, shifted perceived self-locations downward, toward the heart. Study 3 found that similar, though weaker, results occurred in a perspective-taking task, and study 4 found that drawing attention to the heart led many individuals to view activities as more relationship-oriented. The results highlight dynamic relations involving body perception, the self, and processes related to conceptual metaphor.