The Link Between Thinking and Being
Metaphors and lived lives are interrelated.
Posted January 28, 2026 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan
Metaphors are linked to how we experience the world around us, according to seminal work by researchers George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. In English, we "move forward" with our lives and don't "retreat into" the past. We speak about people who are "cold as ice" and "heavy" matters we need to resolve.
Some of these metaphorical expressions are more than just, well, expressions—they are actually based on our sensory experiences. This mind-body link is called "embodied cognition ." The connection between places/objects and experiences, which the study of embodied cognition uncovers, will help us understand and enhance our relationships with the physical world.
Here are some useful findings to date, linked to the work of Lakoff and Johnson, along with a few practical applications of these findings:
Psychologists have learned how physical experiences and metaphorical expressions may be related and that sensory experiences have a significant influence on humans' relationships with their physical world. Now, it's clear that those influences can extend to how we speak, as well.
George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. 1999. Philosophy in the Flesh: The Embodied Mind and Its Challenge to Western Thought. New York, NY; Basic Books.
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Sally Augustin, Ph.D. , is an environmental psychologist and the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture .
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.