| Description |
The studies presented in this dissertation suggest that representing the body in narrative is meaningful and impactful for emotion and behavior. In the first two papers of this dissertation, I examined the use of language that likely involves simulation (i.e., embodied language) in autobiographical narrative and considered its consequences for both narrators and readers. I found that for narrators, embodied language both reflects and prospectively influences a narrators' emotional experience. Higher emotional intensity initially promotes the use of more embodied language, and more use of embodied language may help to sustain that emotion postnarration. I was also able to show that narrating in ways that involve the simulation of physical work or effort promoted higher caloric-intake after videogame play, compared with not narrating, or with narrating in ways that involved less simulation and embodiment. I consider how these findings fit with the broader literature on simulation and what the resulting implications for narrators may be. Next, I consider the consequences of embodied language use for readers. In my studies I found that the greater the use of embodied language, the greater reader engagement with a text as assessed via emotional responding and narrative transportation. Again, I attribute these differences to simulation and situate my findings within the embodied cognition literature. Third, I consider the relation between interoception and embodied language. I iv make the argument that interoception, the ability to accurately detect and interpret bodily cues, may be an important part of representing the body in narrative. While interoception is becoming an increasingly popular topic in research, little is known about how interoception develops. In Chapter 3, I provided correlational evidence that attachment style may be an important precursor to the development of interoception. |
