Grounded and embodied cognitions have gained increasing interest in explaining the effects of the physical environments on social cognition and behavior. However, the very nature of the processes underlying embodiment is largely unknown. The current research aims at contributing to this issue by (1) differentiating between the embodiment of contents and procedures, (2) unfolding the processes underlying mechanism of an embodied procedure, and (3) showing its boundary conditions. Seven experiments investigated these refinements using the examples of darkness, self-construal, and cooperation in social dilemmas. The results provided consistent evidence that darkness triggers interdependent self-construal, which in turn promotes cooperation. Moreover, the individual's internal context and external context moderated the darkness-cooperation effect. These results contribute to the understanding of embodied and situated social cognition and behavior and provide a consistent explanation for the mixed findings of lighting on cooperation in particular and prosocial behavior in general.Experiences and perceptions of the physical environment influence how people perceive and interact with each other (

This article investigates the interplay between darkness, construal level, and psychological distance based on the link between environmental lighting conditions and visual perception. In the dark, visual perception becomes less focused and detailed, leading to more abstract representations. We argue that this link between physical darkness and a global perceptual processing style spills over to the conceptual level. In three experiments, darkness triggered a more global perceptual and conceptual processing style than did brightness, regardless of whether the darkness was physically manipulated or primed. Additionally, two Implicit Association Tests (IATs) showed that darkness is more strongly associated with high-level construal than with low-level construal. Moreover, drawing on the generalized link between construal level and psychological distance, we proposed that darkness is also linked to perceived psychological distance because the lack of detail information and the abstract representations in the dark remove objects and other persons from people’s direct, detailed experience. Eight IATs confirmed the implicit link between darkness and four dimensions of psychological distance. These implications of these results are discussed with regard to thinking styles and social processes like stereotyping and cooperation.