Neuronarrative

Musings on the complicated business of thinking.

by David DiSalvo

Whether "Beast" or "Virus" Metaphor Is Powerful Stuff

By David DiSalvo on May 16, 2011 in Neuronarrative

Is crime a "hungry beast" or a "rapidly spreading virus"? Recent research suggests that the metaphors you are presented with will color your thinking in ways you may not even realize. Read More

The brain is a funny thing.

Submitted by Renee on May 18, 2011 - 6:39am.

The brain is a funny thing. It seems impossible to think that one or two words in the right context can influence how we think about issues such as crime, but they do. The fact that only 3% of the participants realized as much is also incredible. This just goes to show that every word we write, in the right context, can have a profound impact on the way the overall message is conveyed. This is a huge responsibility that we shouldn’t take advantage of, and should always be aware of, no matter how much something seems to be only factual information.

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Translate this to the

Submitted by Anonymous on May 18, 2011 - 2:41pm.

Translate this to the political arena, and the potential is mind-boggling.

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<strong>485</strong> students in experiment #1, (not 1,485in experiment #1 was <strong>485</strong> (not 1,485).

Submitted by Bob on May 19, 2011 - 3:20pm.

Thanks for an interesting and meaningful article. [N.B. The number of students in experiment #1 was 485 (not 1,485).

From the research report:

"In Experiment 1, 485 students – 126 from Stanford University and 359 from the University of California, Merced – participated in the study as part of a course requirement."