We review illustrative work, mostly experimental, that provides causal evidence. While bidirectional causality is generally observed between mental and bodily processes (S. W. S. Lee & Schwarz, 2012), we devote more space to effects of bodily processes on mental ones because they pertain to the more stirring claim that the body influences the mind. The primary goal of this chapter, however, is not to provide a comprehensive review of findings but to offer a theoretical treatment and
Raising one's jammed fist is not just a common pictorial representation of struggle against the establishment but turns out to reflect a deeper connection between sensorimotor states and beliefs. The present research investigated how physical firmness, manipulated through muscle tightening, might shape beliefs. The central hypothesis, structural alignment, was tested against two other competing predictions: content extremity and content matching. Three studies provided evidence supporting structural alignment but not content matching or extremity. Specifically, the correlation between intelligence and personality lay beliefs (Studies 1–2), and the correlation between individualizing and binding moral foundations (Study 3) increased when participants jammed their fist (Study 1) or clenched their jaw (Studies 2–3). These effects emerged in the absence of mean-level differences (which would have reflected content matching or extremity). Moreover, they did not seem attributable to response bias or tiredness. An additional study suggested decent rates of compliance with experimental instructions that were comparable between conditions. Overall, sensorimotor experiences such as physical firmness can align higher-order cognitions such as beliefs in ways that are distinct from prior demonstrations of embodied cognition effects.
Raising one's jammed fist is not just a common pictorial representation of struggle against the establishment but turns out to reflect a deeper connection between sensorimotor states and beliefs. The present research investigated how physical firmness, manipulated through muscle tightening, might shape beliefs. The central hypothesis, structural alignment, was tested against two other competing predictions: content extremity and content matching. Three studies provided evidence supporting structural alignment but not content matching or extremity. Specifically, the correlation between intelligence and personality lay beliefs (Studies 1-2), and the correlation between individualizing and binding moral foundations (Study 3) increased when participants jammed their fist (Study 1) or clenched their jaw (Studies 2-3). These effects emerged in the absence of mean-level differences (which would have reflected content matching or extremity). Moreover, they did not seem attributable to response bias or tiredness. Overall, sensorimotor experiences such as physical firmness can align higher-order cognitions such as beliefs in ways that are distinct from prior demonstrations of embodied cognition effects.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.