Physical firmness increases structural alignment
Abstract 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 tighte...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27933-5 |
| _version_ | 1797945851264368640 |
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| author | Lorenzo Cecutti Spike W. S. Lee |
| author_facet | Lorenzo Cecutti Spike W. S. Lee |
| author_sort | Lorenzo Cecutti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:01:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-03768c88ff9041b1bc7b44083477adb7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T21:01:39Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-03768c88ff9041b1bc7b44083477adb72023-01-22T12:14:34ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-01-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-27933-5Physical firmness increases structural alignmentLorenzo Cecutti0Spike W. S. Lee1Rotman School of Management, University of TorontoRotman School of Management, University of TorontoAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27933-5 |
| spellingShingle | Lorenzo Cecutti Spike W. S. Lee Physical firmness increases structural alignment Scientific Reports |
| title | Physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| title_full | Physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| title_fullStr | Physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| title_short | Physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| title_sort | physical firmness increases structural alignment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27933-5 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lorenzocecutti physicalfirmnessincreasesstructuralalignment AT spikewslee physicalfirmnessincreasesstructuralalignment |