The Influence of Spatial Position on Affect

Conceptual metaphor theory posits that the physical domain (e.g. the vertical dimension) is used to understand abstract concepts (e.g. affect); creating expressions such as, “falling into a deep depression.” Previous research concerning vertical metaphors has found that people more rapidly process positive and negative words when the valence was metaphorically consistent with vertical position (Meier & Robinson, 2004) and that mood traits were metaphorically consistent with vertical attentional biases (Meier & Robinson, 2006). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of vertical perceptual biases on mood; whether shifting perception could have an effect upon the emotional experience of an individual. In Experiment 1, vertical attention was manipulated by having university students move letters upwards or downwards on a computer screen, with measures of mood completed before and after the manipulation. In Experiment 2, participants completed the same task, but moved schematic faces that were either happy or sad. In both experiments vertical attention was biased; however a significant change in mood state was produced only when schematic faces were used as stimuli in the task. The results suggest that shifting an individual’s vertical perception can influence their mood, when the task is emotionally arousing.