Psychological reality and mapping relationships of spatial distance metaphors for emotional concepts

The objective of this research is to delve into the psychological validity and the intricate mapping connections between spatial distance metaphors and emotional concepts. By broadening the scope of empirical investigation into abstract concepts and spatial metaphors, this study ventures into the realm of emotional concepts. It innovatively combines the front-back distance dimension with the traditional left-right orientation dimension. And it synthesizes the static cognitive framework and dynamic motivational currents in the methodology. Employing experimental protocols based on the forced selection technique and a tailored spatial Stroop paradigm. And the research reveals several key insights: spatial distance metaphors for emotional concepts are grounded in psychological reality; these metaphors exhibit an asymmetry, reflecting a unidirectional mapping process. Emotion concepts have an effect on the perception of spatial proximity. However, the effect of spatial proximity on the representation of affective concepts varies. These findings offer substantial evidence to underpin future inquiries into the metaphorical representation of emotions in terms of spatial distance, suggesting that a deeper exploration of these mapping dynamics is warranted.