With some roots in evolutionary theory, the embodied cognition hypothesis suggests that our thought processes, like our emotions, are refined through evolution to support survival and reproduction. “The idea of embodied cognition is that all our cognitive processes, even those that have been thought of as very abstract, are actually rooted in basic bodily processes of perception, action and emotion.” In theoretical terms, the finding supports a psychological hypothesis called “embodied cognition,” says Glenberg, now a professor of psychology at Arizona State University. Such an effect could snowball, Havas says, but the outcome could also be positive: “Maybe if I am not picking up sad, angry cues in the environment, that will make me happier.” If you are slightly slower reacting as I tell you about something that made me really angry, that could signal to me that you did not pick up my message.” “Even though it’s a small effect, in conversation, people respond to fast, subtle cues about each other’s understanding, intention and empathy. Practically, the study “may have profound implications for cosmetic surgery,” says Glenberg. But here, that loop is disrupted, and the intensity of the emotion, and of our ability to understand it when embodied in language, is disrupted.” “Normally, the brain would be sending signals to the periphery to frown, and the extent of the frown would be sent back to the brain. The use of Botox to test how making facial expressions affect emotional centers in the brain was pioneered by Andreas Hennenlotter of the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany. Moreover, the changes in reading time couldn’t be attributed to changes in participants’ mood.
Although the time difference was small, it was significant, he adds. But after Botox treatment, the subjects took more time to read the angry and sad sentences. The results showed no change in the time needed to understand the happy sentences. “We periodically checked that the readers were understanding the sentences, not just pressing the button,” says Havas. Havas gauged the ability to understand these sentences according to how quickly the subject pressed a button to indicate they had finished reading it.
The statements were angry (“The pushy telemarketer won’t let you return to your dinner”) sad (“You open your email in-box on your birthday to find no new emails”) or happy (“The water park is refreshing on the hot summer day.”) To test how blocking a frown might affect comprehension of language related to emotions, Havas asked the patients to read written statements, before and then two weeks after the Botox treatment.
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