States that biology may affect our decision-making in totally
unexpected ways. Report by John Cacioppo in 'Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology,' Vol. 65, No. 1; His testing of William James' theory
proposed in 1884 that arm movement might affect attitudes; Results of
experiments.
By
PT Staff, published on March 01, 1994
ATTITUDES
Something as simple as tensing or flexing your arm may influence
whether you like or dislike something, says Ohio State University
psychologist John Cacioppo, Ph.D.
As long ago as 1884, psychologist William James theorized that arm
movement might affect attitudes. Why arms? Because of the intimate
association between arm movements and touch--a primary way of information
gathering.
Cacioppo put the possibility to the test. In a set of experiments
reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Vol. 65,
No. 1), he showed subjects a series of Chinese ideographs while they
pressed up on a table or exercise bar, flexing biceps.
They wound up liking these pictures more than a similar series
shown while they were pressing down on a table or bar, extending the
biceps. Just resting hands on the bar did not affect evaluations of the
images, nor did watching the experimenter push on the bar.
It motion affects emotional attitudes, in real life the effect may
be small-but the point is not. "There's a connection between biology and
social thinking that hasn't been explored," says Cacioppo. "Things you
know but don't know you know can influence you in subtle ways." It may
operate when you don't know anything else about a situation.
Subtle motions may affect our decisions because we unconsciously
associate arm flexion with approach--bringing food toward the mouth, for
example--while arm extension is linked with rejection.
The effect may work to "get the ball rolling," says Cacioppo. "Do
we like grocery displays better when we lean over to pick up a can? Do we
have more fun at cocktail parties when we're holding something because it
predisposes us to like the people we meet?"
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