What's "up" with God? Vertical space as a representation of the divine.
"God" and "Devil" are abstract concepts often linked to vertical metaphors (e.g., "glory to God in the highest," "the Devil lives down in hell"). It is unknown, however, whether these metaphors simply aid communication or implicate a deeper mode of concept representation. In 6 experiments, the authors examined the extent to which the vertical dimension is used in noncommunication contexts involving God and the Devil. Experiment 1 established that people have implicit associations between God-Devil and up-down. Experiment 2 revealed that people encode God-related concepts faster if presented in a high (vs. low) vertical position. Experiment 3 found that people's memory for the vertical location of God- and Devil-like images showed a metaphor-consistent bias (up for God; down for Devil). Experiments 4, 5a, and 5b revealed that people rated strangers as more likely to believe in God when their images appeared in a high versus low vertical position, and this effect was independent of inferences related to power and likability. These robust results reveal that vertical perceptions are invoked when people access divinity-related cognitions.
Meier
Brian P
BP
Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA 17325, USA. bmeier@gettysburg.edu
Hauser
David J
DJ
Robinson
Michael D
MD
Friesen
Chris Kelland
CK
Schjeldahl
Katie
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019365:Metaphor; D009658:North Dakota; D010414:Pennsylvania; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D009626:Terminology as Topic