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:

• When we’re thinking about the future, we lean forward ever so slightly, and when we’re considering the past, we move slightly backward. Chairs in counselors’ offices that tip slightly forward sound like a good investment.
• We speak of being "close" to people whose opinions we share. Personal space research indicates that we generally stand closer to people we tend to agree with. Easily movable furniture helps us keep a socially comfortable distance from other people.
• "Up" is generally associated with good things—heaven and penthouses, for example, or "being on top of the world," and "down" with negative things, such as hell and dungeons. Position objects and spaces to take advantage of this higher-is-better effect.
• When we’re in a dark place, we’re apt to be less honest—even if that dimmer space is just a few shades darker than what results from putting on conventional sunglasses. In general, we associate the color black with immoral things, and its opposite, white, with concepts that are also opposite. Light and select colors accordingly.
• When we are dishonest, we are apt to feel physically dirty—and cleaning up makes us feel more moral. A "clean record" seems to be a real-life goal. People smelling scents associated with cleanliness (such as citrus-scented Windex) are fairer and more generous. In spaces where people might be tempted to behave less than admirably or where "good" behavior is highly desired, a "clean" scent will go a long way to facilitating desired actions.
• Humans who have been excluded socially feel physically colder than people who have not, and when people feel warmer, they’re more connected to their friends—there seems to be a hidden truth in that "cold shoulder." When we are closer to other people, we sense their body heat, and when it is warmer in a place because the thermostat is turned higher, we perceive the other people in that space as socially closer to us; we have a "warm" relationship with them. Think about this effect when you’re considering the perceived temperatures of public spaces or when setting the thermostat in the family room at home.
• Important matters are linked to heavy weight in our minds—remember the expression from the ’60s, "Heavy, man." More important objects also seem heavier. Keep this effect in mind when you’re selecting, for example, frames for personally significant images.

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.