I'm Seeing Red!Literally: The Effect of Metaphoric Representation on Perception
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Abstract
Metaphor is often used to represent abstract concepts using concrete domains (Lakoff &
Johnson, 1980). One set of metaphors that has long been of interest, but seldom studied, is
the set of those linking color and emotion. Specifically, red and anger are often linked in
everyday language and popular media. There is a recent body of work on metaphoric
representation processes, yet none of it has focused on color perception. The present
studies investigate the effects of priming anger-related concepts and experiences on the
visual perception of color. It was predicted that participants would perceive degraded color
screens as red following the activation of anger-related thoughts (Study 1) and when made
angry (Study 2), consistent with the "seeing red" metaphor for anger. Both hypotheses
were supported. Implications of the findings are discussed.